The Blissful Adventures of the Doctor's Daughter
by princess-katie
Summary: Lily, the Doctor's daughter, is happily living with her husband Captain Jack Harkness. They've battled Daleks, the Master and the 456 amongst many, many others, but now it's their time to be completely happy. Join Captain and Mrs Harkness as they run their alien fighting business and attempt to live happily ever after.
1. Introduction

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: This is the 7th story in a series - for anyone who hasn't read the rest, they're on my profile, but you don't need to read them to read this. this chapter will give you a summary anyway. **

**Basically, the Doctor always travelled with his daughter Lily, and when the Doctor, she and Rose met Jack, she fell for him. They got together, but then got seperated, and were reunited on the Master's Ship at the end of DW series 3. After that, Lily went back to Torchwood with Jack, and by now they're married. Series 1, 2 and 3 of Torchwood have happened - the Doctor has just regenerated into Matt Smith.  
This is just a summary of the whole series so far, the rest of the story will be in 3rd person.**

Introduction

My name is Lily Harkness, and my story is far from normal.

I suppose I should start by saying I'm not really human. I was brought up travelling around space and time with my dad, the Doctor. The two of us are the last time lords in existance, and I can't remember much about our home planet, Gallifrey.

I should also tell you that time lords have the ability to change their entire body when they're dying -to regenerate into a new person - which means we can live an awfully long time. I'm currently around 210 years old - it's kind of difficult to tell exactly how old

I'm in my second regeneration, and my dad has recently been forced into his eleventh. I look around 35 years old, I'm a fairly average height, with a curvy body, green eyes and flaming red hair.

Now, I no longer live in my dad's time-space ship, and travel with him. I now live in Cardiff, with my husband of almost a year, Captain Jack Harkness.

Our story is as unusual as ourselves, and began some time ago, in 1941 when I was still in my first regeneration. I looked about 25 then, with straight black hair, very pale skin, and bright blue eyes.

Back then, my dad and I were travelling with a young londoner, named Rose. Rose hadcome to be a good friend of both of us, and it was clear that she and my dad had some chemistry, and there was something between them, even if neither of them seemed to see it, or were willing to admit it. We found Rose in London, 2005, and things just went on from there.

We travelled everywhere, and this one time, we ended up in London 1941 - the height of the London Blitz. And there I met him.

He was charming right from the start, and he just had a sparkle about him. He was different to anyone I'd met before, and he set himself apart right from the start.

His name was Captain Jack Harkness. Rose and I got seperated from my dad, and we ended up dangling on a piece of rope from a barrage balloon. In the middle of the London Blitz, this man, who didn't even know me, saved me.

He pulled me onto his ship, which was tethered to Big Ben. He was smooth, charming, not to mention incredibly handsome, and the natural flirt within me couldn't resist. We danced to Glenn Miller, on top of the spaceship, and we drank champagne.

Sure he was handsome, charming, but I knew he was a conman. I might flirt with him, but I wasn't going to fall for his stupid tricks, whatever they might be.

Long story short, he ended up travelling with us, and we started getting a bit closer. At first we were just flirting, because it was in both of our natures to do that, but then he started to change a little, and I knew I was falling for him.

Then one night a Slitheen incident led us to Cardiff, and whilst my dad - ever protective, wouldn't have approved - and Rose were seperated from us, we kissed for the first time.

With Jack convincing me he had the potential to be faithful as long as he had the right woman, we started a relationship and kept it secret from Rose and my dad. We were incredibly happy and were started to get very close.

After a few months, we had to tell my dad, who wasn't at all happy, but he didn't have a lot of time to do anything about it because we were transported to a Game Station in the year 200100. The Daleks were there and invaded.

Jack and I got seperated, and Jack ended up on the floor were the Daleks were. They killed him, and I was too late to save him. My dad manged to get rid of the Daleks but it was too late for Jack.

My dad was forced to regenerate because Rose had absorbed the Time Vortex, and he had to take that from her. I wanted to take Jack's body back with us, but my dad rushed us out of there.

The three of us kept travelling without Jack, whilst I mourned him. We saw a lot - even a parallel universe where Rose's father was alive, but her mother died, and Jack was alive, though married to some guy named Ianto.

I was slowly piecing myself back together, though I never stopped thinking of Jack, when disaster struck again. This time for Rose.

We ended up at Torchwood One, London. There ghosts, except the ghosts weren't ghosts - they were Cyberman. And on top of that, Daleks again.

A plan was formed - opening the void between universes, to suck the creatures back in. From the parallel universe, Rose's father and the others returned. Dad tried to send Rose to the parallel universe, where her father was, her mother from our universe could reunite with her husband, and Rose's long time friend and former boyfriend Mickey had moved. She wouldn't go, and while the others went back, Dad, Rose and I stuck clamps to the wall and tried to cling on. Becuase we'd passes to the parallel universe before, we would get sucked into the void if we weren't careful.

But Rose let go of the clamp. I tried to reach for her but it was useless. At the last moment, her parallel dad reappeared and took her to the parallel universe with him. She was still alive, but trapped there.

My dad was devastated, but the two of us carried on, both broken, both missing someone.

We found a woman named Donna, on her wedding day, ruined her wedding day, and sent her home. Then found a woman named Martha - a young student doctor. Martha started travelling with us.

We went to a few places, and then ended up at New New Eearth. We met the Face of Boe, an ancient revered old creatured. He told us two things - he told us we were not alone. Then he told me Jack was still alive.

I found out that my dad had known all along and was absolutely furious, but I had to make up with him because he's my dad, and he was very sorry. We kept travelling, and I asked if anyone knew Jack everywhere we went, but no-one did.

Then I found him.

I found him in Cardiff. We were reunited and it was brilliant. The TARDIS dragged us to the end of the universe but we didn't care. We hugged, kissed, and finally got the chance to say we loved each other. We were together like we always should have been.

Of course it couldn't stay perfect forever. We were faced with an evil time lord who had been hding a a human, but was now back in time lord form, with the aim of taking over the world.

We neded up as captives on his ship. Martha managed to escape, sent by the Doctor on a mission to destroy the master, but the rest of us couldn't get away.

He forced Martha's family to be his slaves, forcibly aged my dad and put him in a cage, locked Jack up and killed him over and over for his own amusement and saved the worst for me.

He aimed to repopulate the time lord race, with pure time lords. And I was the only female time lord. He intended to make me pregnant whether I consented or not and he wasted no time in carrying out his plan.

He'd take me to the room where Jack was chained up, unable to do anything, and he'd do it there, forcing Jack to watch, knowing he was torturing Jack by rendering him helpless.

After four months, almost broken and in the worst possible state, I managed to escape, find Martha and help her spread the Doctor's word. And after a year of the Master's terrible reign, we returned to the ship, to take down the Master.

I was terrified but I faced him, and his reign ended. Time was reversed, as if it ever happened, and the only people who knew about the year were those who had spent it on the Valiant.

In the end the Master was shot by his wife, Lucy Saxon. He refused to regenerate and died, and then Jack asked me to move to Cardiff with him.

Jack had been brought back to life when Rose absorbed the time vortex back on the Game Station, and he was now immortal. He'd used his vortex manipulator to get off the Game Station, but got the years wrong, landed in 1869, and his vortex manipulator had burnt out. He was forced to stay in the year he was in, searching for my dad and me. In the meantime he'd started working for Torchwood Cardiff, and by the time I was reunited with him, he was running it.

He asked me to go back with him, and he said he'd made Torchwood something I could be proud of. As much as I didn't want to leave my dad, it was time for my to have my own adventures.

Almost two years ago now, we landed in Cardiff, said goodbye to my dad and Martha, and he took me to his Torchwood. It was brilliant - an organisation for protecting the world from aliens, monitoring a rift in space and time.

I met his team - Owen, Tosh, Ianto and Gwen.

By now we're all friends - Owen became like the brother I never had, Tosh was a great friend to me, Ianto slowly became a friend, and I was least close to Gwen, Gwen and Jack were close, but me and her just never really became proper friends.

Torchwood became everything to me - work, home, life, and all with Jack by my side.

Jack and I became truly solid. We had a difficult time coming to terms with everything that had happened during The Year That Never Was, but with Jack to hold me close and send the bad dreams away, things got easier, and I was adjusting to living as a human. There were rarely dull moments at Torchwood too.

Lot of things happened, including a visit from Martha, who was now working for UNIT, and the death of Owen. A ressurection brought him back to life, but for the moment he's the living dead, and we're not quite sure if we'll ever be able to fix him.

I continued to see my dad occasionally - he was now travelling with Donna, whose wedding we'd crashed at Christmas.

After several months of living in Cardiff, we attended Gwen's wedding to her longtime boyfriend Rhys. Whilst at the reception Jack pulled me onto the empty dancefloor, whilst our song was playing, and got down on one knee, pulled out a ring, and asked me to marry him.

The answer was an immediate yes, and we planned to get married with just a few guests, at the Globe Theatre, travelling back in time in the TARDIS with my dad's help, and swinging the Globe with the help of my ex-husband William Shakespeare.

Our plans were thrown into dissaray when Jack's long lost, thought to be dead brother turned up, hell bent on ruining Jack's life. He blew up half the city, nearly killed Owen in a nuclear power plant and shot me fatally.

I was forced to regenerate, but not before I shot Jack's brother, only just preventing him from shooting Tosh.

Jack held me in his arms, begged me not to die, and I regenerated for us. Jack was brilliant, came to terms with it very quickly, and we were back on track, the wedding and all.

Shortly before the wddig, disaster struck again, as it always did, once again in the shape of the Daleks. Were were reunited with my father and Donna in a bid to get rid of them, as were Martha and our old friend Sarah Jane, and Rose and the others came through from the parallel world.

We defeated the Daleks and in the process, both Donna and Rose had absorbed time lord DNA and become half human, half time lord. For Donna it was enough to burn her mind, and the Doctor was forced to wipe all memory of any of us, from her mind.

For Rose however, the energy reacted with the energy from whe she'd previously absorbed the time vortex, and she could stay half human half time lord. She and the others didn't return to the parallel universe.

Jack and I got married as planned.

It was absolutely perfect and without a doubt the happiest day of my life. Jack looked better than I'd ever seen him and the speeches and vows we made to each other were enough to make us both - and most of our guests - cry buckets.

Afterwards we had a small reception in the funciton room of a pub that a relation of Ianto's girlfriend ran - Ianto had been with his girlfriend about 8 months at that point, and although their relationship lasted quite a while, Ianto was private about it and told us very little. They split up a few months ago, and Ianto told us things hadn't felt right for a while - they'd just grown apart.

After the wedding, we took a month long honeymoon in sunny Barbados, and it couldn't have been better. We spent the month lazing on the secluded beach or in the swimming pool, or rolling around in bed - nothing could have been better.

When we got back, we spent 6 months happily married, living in the hub, and saving the world from aliens. By now Owen and Tosh had finally gotten themselves sorted too, and got together. It was unconventional to say the least given Owen was still dead, but they were managing, and there was nothing we could really do about him being living dead.

In what turned out to be a horrific incident, the children of the world were all possessed. As we started to investigate, Jack found out someone had planted a bomb inside him, and he forced us all out of the hub, and was blown up.

The whole bay was blown up and we were being hunted. We split up, and Ianto, Owen and I ran, thinking Jack was dead. I'd confessed only a few hours ago to the two of them that I thought I was pregnant - something I hadn't told Jack for fear of how he'd react, and that we wouldn't be able to raise a baby.

Owen obtained some pregnancy tests for me and I was indeed pregnant. Terrified and on the run, I didn't know how to deal with the information.

It was a long week, and we found out that Jack was still alive - apparently he could even survive being blown apart from the inside out. The whole team of us hid out in a warehouse whilst the discovered that the children were being possessed by a race who were demanding 10 percent of all children to make them leave. Even worse, the government were going to allow it.

Gwen had recently found out she was pregnant, but I still hadn't told Jack that I was too. I was still so worried by it all, especially with the extra distractions of trying to save every child in the world from an alien race.

The whole thing culminated in Jack and I going to confront the 456, but it went wrong, and we were flooded with radiation that killed everyone in the building. Of course Jack and I were fine, but I started to feel pain, and I miscarried the baby.

Jack was furious that he hadn't known I was pregnant, but we didn't have time to discuss it because we still had to finish the 456. In the end we had to sacrifice one child to save every other child, and the child we sacrificed was Jack's 10 year old grandson.

We all went home in silence, but the bay was in ruins and we had no home. We went to Ianto's, but soon started arguing about the baby, and after a very heated argument we went our seperate ways, I with my dad, and he to stay with Martha, who was now married to Mickey.

After a bit of space Jack and I of course reunited, apologised and came to terms with what had happened. Whatever happens, we're devoted to each other and nothing can pull us apart.

We talked it out and agreed that we did want a family, and we'd do it sooner rather than later, but not too soon. For now we're happy to just enjoy each other.

We got on with rebuilding the hub, and it had been 3 months since the whole 456 incident, when disaster struck again. This time, everyone was having dreams about the Master, who to the best of our knowledge was dead

We immediately got in touch with my dad and found that the Master was returning. The four of us - Dad, Rose, me and Jack - discovered his plan to turn everyone on the planet into him. I was terrified when he carried it out - who wouldn't be after what he'd done to me?

The whole thing culminated in a long story involving the rest of the time lords and ended in the Master disappearing, stuck in a time lord.

It also ended in my dad having to regenerate after going into a radiation booth to save someone else.

Straight from his rengeneration, the TARDIS started to crash land and we met Amelia Pond and Rory Williams and just for a change, saved them from aliens, after which Jack and I returned home.

Now we're back at home, and there haven't been any major disasters in the month since we last saw my Dad.

Here's hoping we can just be happy now.


	2. Bonfire Night

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: I've finally finished 6th form and A levels so hopefully I can get update out quite regularly now.**

Chapter Two

" So ... then I said to him "Well Your Royal Highness, you can go suck-" "

" Jack! "

Sitting on the kitchen table in the newly rebuilt hub, Captain Jack Harkness sighed as his wife of almost 11 months, who he'd been with for over two years before that, scolded him.

" But I'm telling you all the story," he protested, " don't you _want _to hear it accurately? "

Lily rolled her eyes, while Torchwood Medical Officer Dr Owen Harper roared with laughed.

Lily and Jack had so many stories between the two of them, and as the team sat around in the kitchen on this particularly quiet day, it was Jack's turn to regale one of his stories.

This particular one was from the time period when he'd returned to earth from the Game Station, and been stuck in the late 19th century, and he was telling them about the time he'd met Prince Albert, Prince Consort of Queen Victoria.

" We don't need to hear _that _bit," Lily told him, " and I told you when you first told _me _the story, I think it was kinda rude of you to speak to the Queen's husband like that. "

" Are you joking? " Jack laughed, " this coming from you who was banished from the empire by Queen Victoria, who quickly set about setting up an organisation to keep out you, your dad, and similar "threats." "

Lily had to smirk at that, as she took a chocolate from the box that Tosh was passing around, " Well, look how that turned out. What would Queen Victoria say if she knew one of the very threats she had in mind when she set Torchwood up, was sitting here drinking coffee and eating chocolate? "

" Have you ever met any royalty? " Tosh asked Lily curiously, " I mean, any current royalty? "

Lily grinned, " I met Prince Harry once. Lovely young man. Gorgeous. "

" I don't know," Jack shrugged, " I always quite fancied William. " When Lily raised her eyebrows at him, he added, " Well, you know, if I had to choose. "

" I never know when to take you seriously," Gwen said, resting her hands on her expanding belly, at 6 months pregnant.

" I find he's always telling the truth when he tells these stories," Ianto said, sipping his coffee, " unfortunately. "

Lily had to smirk at that.

It had been a quiet day, but the hub was comfortably rebuilt and they were all sitting in the kitchen. It was early evening, and Ianto had just ordered them all pizza. Tosh had brought in a box of chocolates earlier than - her aunt had been visiting and had brought her a box of chocolates full of nuts, which she didn't like.

When Ianto announced he'd better go meet the pizza boy, they all watched him leave the kitchen. After Ianto's relationship with the girl from the pizza place had ended, they'd considered ordering from somewhere else, but Ianto had insisted that was no need - the relationship had ended badly, they'd just drifted apart.

" Get off the table," Lily told Jack, a smile on her face that wasn't at all in keeping with the tone of her voice.

" Why? "

" Because we're going to eat, and we don't need to eat off something that your backside has been on," she said, as he gave in and got off the table.

" Under the thumb, mate," Owen snorted, as Jack looked around the room. They'd only gotten four chairs, and all were being occupied.

" I am never under the thumb," Jack protested as his wife stood up so he could take her chair.

As Jack sat down Owen laughed, " You're so under the thumb. "

Jack sighed, " Well, she doesn't let me sit on the kitchen table at home either. "

Owen snorted as he thoughts were confirmed, and Lily shrugged as she sat down on Jack's lap, " What can I say? I love my kitchen table. "

She was wearing a cheeky grin, and Jack chuckled as he wrapped his arm around her waist, " That's what you love, is it? "

She grinned, " Well it's so smooth, and sexy and - "

" Are we still talking about the table? " he asked, raising his eyebrows at her.

" Well, of course," she said, " I mean, it's a beautiful piece of craftmanship. "

" Shut up," Jack mumbled as he leaned in. He closed the small gap between them and Lily closed her eyes as she felt his lips press against hers. It was a sweet brief kiss, and when they broke apart, he smiled and brushed some of her hair away from her face.

" You two are so cute its actually sickening," Owen grumbled.

" You're just jealous," Jack said with his usual self assured smirk.

Owen allowed himself a smirk, " Well, I suppose your wife is rather gorgeous, but I don't need to be jealous. Lily knows if she wants me, I'm hers. "

This earned him a playful slap on the arm from Tosh, while Lily grinned at him, " Oh Owen, don't worry sweetie, we're still on for our _secret _rendevous later on. "

Owen winked at her, earning himself another swat from Tosh, whilst Jack warned, " Better not be. "

Lily giggled - her flirting with Owen was always meaningless, and their partners always knew they just did it to wind them up. Lily smiled innocently and turned her face towards Jack's.

" I suppose if you've got objections to the secret rendevous, I'll just have to call it off," she said.

" Very kind of you," Jack drawled, leaning in again. She was grinning as they shared another kiss, this one lingering just a little.

" How can you _still _act like newlyweds? " Owen asked, shaking his head at them.

" Oh Owen stop being so grumpy," Lily sighed, as Ianto walked through the door, putting three large boxes down on the table, " we haven't even been married a year. "

" It's coming up though," Jack pointed out, brushing some of Lily's hair away from her face with a smile, tucking it behind her ear.

Tosh frowned, " How do you even work out when your anniversary is? Don't you have two? Since we went from present day December to Christmas Day in Shakespeare's time, then came back to present day December for a reception? "

Lily nodded, " Yeah, one anniversary would be Christmas Day, but the other would be 11th December. We agreed we'd celebrate our anniversary on the 11th, because we're already celebrating christmas, at christmas. "

" Any plans? " Gwen asked mildly, rubbing her bump absent mindedly.

"I'm sure I'll think of something," Jack said, his lips twitching into a smirk, and Ianto pulled the lid off the pizza boxes, and they all started tucking in, " it's like 5 weeks away anyway. "

" So, are we doing the bonfire thing this year, then? " Lily asked after they'd all taken a few bites.

It was two days away from bonfire night, and Lily was eager to go to a bonfire. Although she'd been living in Cardiff for almost two years, she hadn't been to a human bonfire. They'd agreed to go last year, but a unprecedented weevil infestation of the streets had given them other plans.

" What do you mean "bonfire thing"? " Owen asked, rolling his eyes at her.

She shrugged, " You know, watching a fire, and fireworks, and whatever it is you do on bonfire night. "

" You've never been to a bonfire night celebration? " Ianto asked.

Lily shook her head, " Nope. Remember the weevils stopped Jack and I going with you lot last year, and I'd just never happened to go to one before. I think Dad was at the original bonfire night, but I wasn't there. Anyway, what's the deal? "

" I can't believe you've never been to a bonfire," Ianto said, " our parents used to take us every year when we were little. "

" And me," Gwen said.

" So," Jack said, between mouthfuls of pizza, " looks like I'm taking you to a bonfire, baby. "

" They're having a fair on Saturday night, at Crows Nest Park," Ianto supplied helpfully.

Lily turned to look at Jack, and he grinned, " Yes," he said, leaning over and kissing her cheek. He smiled at the way she could be so easily impressed by what others considered to be a simple celebration.

" You two in? " she asked Owen and Tosh.

Owen and Tosh, who had been dating for almost a year, both nodded. " Course we are," Owen said, " as long as you two don't get all soppy and romantic. That time we double-dated to that new italian place, you were looking into each others eyes all lovingly. It was sickening. "

" Don't be ridiculous," Tosh said, rolling her eyes at him, " they were acting like a normal couple. Just because you're afraid to show anyone that you've got a soft side, doesn't mean everyone is." Turning to Lily, she added, " Of course we'll be there. "

" Gwen? " Jack asked.

Gwen grimaced, " I'm not too sure. I don't think Rhys will want to spend any time anywhere enar you Jack. "

Jack seemed unhappy with his, and he shook his head, " Rhys is still pretty pissed, then? "

" He's livid," Gwen replied, " every time I go to work, he tells me he wants to move away. Doesn't think it's safe at all. Can't say I blame him. " She rubbed her bump, " I don't know if I want this for my daughter. "

Everyone had suddenly gotten very quiet, looking at her, and Jack frowned, " Gwen, you'd be bored as hell if you didn't have this place and you know it. "

" Yes," Gwen sighed, " but I can't put this place ahead of my marriage, Jack. "

" You're not _actually _considering moving away? " Jack asked, his voice strained.

Gwen looked as though she could cry and she kept staring solidly at the table, refusing to look at Jack, " I don't know, Jack. You know what, can we not talk about this? "

There was a long pause, before Ianto suddenly said, " I'll come. "

Lily had to smile at the way he was so eager to break the uncomfortable silence and she smiled at him, " Well, of course you are, sweetie. How would we manage without you to keep our lives in order? "

" That, is a very good question," Ianto said, allowing himself a smirk.

When the team had eaten they didn't stay much longer, before they all decided to go home. Then once everyone else had gone, Lily and Jack got ready to leave too. Rather than doing as they always had done and finishing a bit of paperwork, before going to curl up together in the rec room, or their bedroom under the manhole cover, they now pulled on their coats, turned off everything in sight and headed for the rebuilt cog door.

They locked it behind them, with the kind of secure locks that only Jack, Lily and Ianto had the access codes for, before starting down the corridors to the tourist office. They'd had extra security fitted when it was realised that no-one would be in the hub all night - unless an emergency arose - with Jack and Lily alone holding the access codes. Until the next morning, when Ianto had arrived early for work, as always, and beaten Jack and Lily there, having to wait half an hour for them to arrive. He'd then been given the codes for himself.

They left the tourist office together, and headed for the garages. In the wake of the rebuild, they'd bought a few garages close to the area, all of which were extremely secure. One was used to store the SUV, and Gwen sometimes used on of the others for her car, but the others remained empty, but they were sure theyd eventually come in handy.

They climbed into the SUV. Lily had insisted that Jack removed the word "Torchwood" emblazoned on the side of the SUV now they were going to have to take it home every night. They didn't want the neighbours getting suspicious after all.

Their new home was a short drive away from the hub, and when they walked through the doors, Lily grinned and went into the living room, throwing herself on the sofa.

They both loved having their own home, and it felt completely right.

The house had a small patch of grass in front of the house, beside the drive that was in front of the garage. Inside the front door was a small porch, full of shoes, then inside the house, a large living room on the right, a kitchen/dining room filling the rest of the downstairs.

Upstairs was a bathroom and three bedrooms - the largest of which they were using as their own bedroom, the smallest of which housed a pool table, darts board and several board games, and the medium one empty - probably one day being a bedroom for their child. There was an attic upstairs again, which was mostly empty.

Lily heard footsteps behind her, and then she groaned as Jack playfully threw himself on the sofa too, throwing himself on top of her, though careful to distribute his weight between his hands and his knees.

Lily burst into laughter, her voice muffled by the sofa and managed to roll over so she was lying on her back, facing up at him.

" What're you doing? " she giggled.

Jack grinned, " I think I'm still excited that we've got a house. I just wanted to come into _my _living room, and pounce on _my _wife on _my _sofa. "

" That's our house, our sofa," she corrected.

Jack grinned and leaned in. She reached out to rest her hand on his cheek, kissing his lips as eagerly as he kissed hers, and when their kiss ended, Lily grinned,

" Kitten, not that I don't appreciate you looming over me like some kinda sexy thing, but move," she told him wth a cheeky grin, " Dirty Dancing is starting in five minutes. Oh I love this - what's it called, with all the channels - sky tv? "

Jack sighed, " Must I always come second fiddle to Patrick Swayze? "

" Don't be so bloody dramatic," she told him, as he reluctantly rolled off her, and she sat up, " it's your own fault. You introduced me to Patrick Swayze when you put that Ghost film on. "

" I did _not _put that film on," he said firmly, " I'm far too manly to watch that. I was just flicking through the channels, and that happened to be on when you came in. "

" Yeah. Right. Now, are you staying, or are you too manly to watch this too? "

" No, I'll stay," he said quickly. When he saw the amused look on her face he cleared his throat, " um, I mean, you know ... keep you company. "

Lily giggled as she found the channel, " I'm sure I'll be fine. Don't feel obligated to stay on my account. I bet you're dying to get some practise in on the pool table, since Owen and I thrashed you last time we went to the pub. "

" I let you win," Jack said, " and I'll stay. But please don't make me have to admit I like this film. "

She grinned, " Great. I think there's some nachos in the cupboard. "

As Jack lef the room to go get them, he called over his shoulder, " It's about the only thing there is in that kitchen. You know konw day one of us is going to have to learn how to cook. "

" Ah, I'll get round to it one day," she said, " it's just so difficult when there's takeawayson every corner. "

When Jack came back in with a huge bag of nachos he settled back against their sofa, but the nachos down beside him on the sofa, and reached out for Lily.

She smiled as the film started and cuddled up to him. Sometimes there was nothing better than a cuddle from her husband, and although Jack was very good at being tough and macho, Lily thought there was nothing sexier than a big protective man who wasn't afraid to show his love.

Her back was resting comfortably against his chest, and one of his arms was around her waist, his hand resting in her lap, intertwined with her own hand.

When the film was over, Lily sighed, " You know, that film never gets old, does it? "

Jack grinned and pecked her cheek with his lips, adopting his lowest, sexiest voice, " No-body puts baby in a corner," he said.

She giggled and Jack moved his lips to her ear, " Mmm, I do love you. "

She grinned, " I know, kitten, I know. So, tell me, what do people wear to one of these bonfire things? "

Jack chuckled, " As tempted as I am to say a very sexy little dress, the real answer is wrapping up warm because I'm sure you know what November - well, any time of the year - is like in Cardiff. "

" So there's no customary dress? " she asked, " not like hallowe'en or St Patrick's day? "

Jack sometimes had to chuckle at how simple earth things could confuse her, " No, baby, no. But don't worry, I'm sure you'll look positively gorgeous in anything you choose to wear. "

Two days later, after a thankfully quiet day at work, Lily and Jack met Owen, Tosh and Ianto in the local pub.

" Looking good spacegirl," Owen nodded as she and Jack joined the other three.

It was a particularly cold evening, and Lily had opted for a marroon winter coat. It was rare she wore a coat that wasn't her beige trench, but she'd bought this coat a few weeks ago, in a rare occasion of going shopping, and was in love with it. Over the top she wore a woolly scarf, and in her hands was a matching woolly hat, and matching gloves.

Underneath she wore a pair of jeans, tucked into ankle boots.

" Thanks," Lily said, grinning at Owen, " unless you're taking the piss, in which case, screw you. "

Owen chuckled, and Jack wrapped an arm around his wife's waist. " You look really cute in all your winter gear," he said, as Ianto called them a taxi, and Owen, Tosh, and he started to go outside, " hat, scarf, gloves, the lot. "

" You missed one thing," Lily said, a winning grin on her face.

" Oh yeah? " he asked, raising his eyebrows.

" Oh yeah," she agreed, " gorgeous hunk of a man to love me and enjoy it all with. "

Jack sighed, and the look on his face was one of pure happiness, " You're such a romantic at heart, aren't you? Come on gorgeous, you don't want to miss the fireworks, do you? "

They left the pub and piled into a taxi with Tosh, Ianto and Owen. Owen was grumbling about not being able to drink - being dead meant he couldn't eat, drink, use the toilet or have sex. It must be difficult for him, but Lily admired the way that he coped and that he and Tosh managed to have a relationship as best they could.

Once they got to the park where the bonfire was being held, there were tents of beer, burger vans, candyfloss stalls, all surrounding a huge pile of wood. In another field were several fairground rides.

Jack was the first to want to go on all the rides, and Lily and Owen both wanted to, too. Ianto and Tosh were less bothered about the rides, and were happy to stand around the fire.

When they'd tired themselves out all the rides and got extremely competitive over the shooting game (which Jack won, as much as Owen and Lily put up a fight), then joined Tosh and Ianto around the fire.

The fire burned, and though they were stood some distance away, the heat still shone on their faces.

While Lily's back was turned, Jack slipped off, and by the time she noticed he'd gone, he was on his way back, holding up what looked like two red balls on sticks. When he got closer, she realised they were apples, covered in red sticky toffee.

" Toffee apples baby," he announced proudly, " a bonfire night tradition. "

She grinned and took one from him, and he wrapped his arm around her as they stood together by the fire. Jack rested his chin on her shoulder as he stood behind her, her back pressed snugly against his chest.

When the fireworks started, Jack grinned at every gasp and smile the display drew out of Lily. When the firework display was over, he turned her around in his arms,

" Well? " he asked, brushing her hair away from her face, " how was your first ever bonfire night? "

" It's brilliant," she grinned, " aren't fireworks just _gorgeous? "_

Jack grinned, " I'd say they are. But I'm thinking, how about we go home, open a bottle of wine, put on some music and make some fireworks of our own? "

She responded by pushing herself up onto her tiptoes and planting a kiss on his lips.

" So that's a yes? " Jack smirked when they broke apart.

From behind them was a shout, " Oi! Romeo and sodding Juliet! Are you coming or what? "

Lily looked over her shoulder to see Owen standing with his hands on his hips, with Tosh and Ianto by his side. They were some distance away - clearly they'd started walking away, realised Jack and Lily weren't with them, and stopped to turn around.

" What do you want? " shouted Jack.

" We're off to the pub! " Owen shouted, " you coming? "

Lily looked up at Jack, " C'mon _Romeo_," she said, " let's go with them for a bit. We can still go home and have a bottle of wine, et cetera, et cetera, afterwards. "

" Mmm promise? " he asked, a teasing smile on his face.

" Oh Jack, is there anything I wouldn't promise you? "

Jack chuckled, as they started to walk towards Owen, Tosh and Ianto, " One of the many things I love you about," he said, linking his fingers through hers, and allowing himself to think that he was so very lucky, and well aware that she was thinking exactly the same.


	3. Dreaming

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter Three

Exactly a week later, Jack slammed the front door behind them as they got home after work, and Lily threw her coat in the general direction of the coat rack, and then leaned back against the wall, letting out a long sigh.

" Thank God we're home, huh? "

Jack nodded, carefully hanging up his beloved military great coat, " What a day. Still, at least we resolved it in the end. "

Today the rift had brought them a family of four creatures they'd never met before - they were human like, but had the fur of a leopard and long walrus-like teeth. The creatures intended to abduct all animals and use them to take their features, to add to their own genetic make up.

It had been a long day of running around trying to talk to people whose precious pets had gone missing, trying to guess where the creatures were strike next, tracking them down and defeating them.

It had involved a lot of running around and chasing things up, and their day had lasted much longer than usual, that now by the end of it - halfway through the night - they were all thoroughly exhausted and happy to be going home.

" I'm going to bed," Lily told her husband, " I'm shattered. "

Jack nodded - he knew she must be seriously tired if she said she was tired. Time lords needed less sleep than regular people, but he supposed it had been a tiring day. He was tired too, and he also needed less sleep than regular people.

" Me too," he nodded, " I'll be up soon. "

Lily went upstairs, and into their bedroom. She undressed, threw her clothes over the buffet that sat in front of her dressing table, and reached out for the old shirt of Jack's that she wore for bed. She pulled the shirt around her and button it up, where it then fell on her body loosely, ended mid way down her thighs.

She pulled back the purple duvet and got into the bed, and was joined in the bedroom by Jack five minutes or so later. She watched as he started to get undressed, and she sighed,

" How cute were some of those dogs toay? "

Jack looked across at her as he stripped off his shirt, " I never realised you were a dog person, " he said, raising his eyebrows in question.

She shrugged, " I don't know, I've never been that into animals but some of those dogs today were so cute. God, I just wanted to take some of them home and cuddle them. Must be going soft in my old age. "

Jack chuckled, his mind whirring, " Any particular favourite dogs? "

" Cute ones, " she said.

" I'd gathered," he laughed, getting into his side of their double bed. They'd been used to sharing a single bed whilst living together in the hub for so long, that now even though they had a double bed, they slept close together, wrapped up in each other.

Jack settled down on his back, and automatically reached for her. She smiled and shuffled over to him, until she was curled up at his side, one arm around him, whilst his arm was around her, playing with her hair.

" Night baby," Jack said.

She looked up at him and leaned over to kiss him. They shared a soft kiss, before she settled down against him, " Night Jack. "

She closed her eyes, the feeling of his warm skin under hers, and listened to the sound of his single heartbeat as she rested her head against his bare chest.

She soon fell asleep in her tired state, and it wasn't a long time before she started dreaming.

Sometimes she dreamed of the magical places she'd been, or places she might like to go. Sometimes she dreamed about people she'd met or would like to meet.

Sometimes her close bond to Jack meant that she'd see his dreams.

And then sometimes came the nightmares. She'd seen so much that it was inevitable she'd sometimes dream about the bad things she'd seen or experienced.

This time she dreamt about herself, pregnant. A little over 5 months pregnant, she just knew. In the dream she looked radiant, and was standing in the hub, her hands protectively resting on her pronounced bump.

Dream Lily looked so happy, as she cradled her bump, but then all of a sudden it changed. She was on the floor and she was bleeding. She was in so much pain and no-one was coming to help her - no-one was around at all.

The real Lily whimpered a little in her sleep, hiding her face against the pillow.

Dream Lily was in so much pain, and tears started to fall thick and fast down her cheeks as she continued to bleed. She was lying on her back now, and she had no-one.

In the dream, were images of a tiny baby, Lily holding it on her arms happily. She got flashes of she and Jack taking their baby for walks in a pram, beaming down at their son or daughter proudly.

Flashes of them taking a toddler to the park and pushing the child high on the swings. There were more flashes - a handsome teenage boy, spitting image of his dad, and then a pretty teenage girl, with her father's smile, wreaking chaos around the hub.

And then it was all black, then red. There was blood everywhere, and still no-one to help her.

Real Lily was whimpering desperately though still asleep, and she'd rolled over in the bed, rolling away from Jack. She was mumbling in her sleep now, and beside her, Jack was woken by the sounds.

Jack sat up quickly when he heard the whimpering, immediately look around the room - he expected to see an intruder, but instead saw the room was empty except for the bed. And beside him, the whimpering and the mumbled "no, no, no" was coming from Lily, who was still asleep.

He felt his heart sink as he realised she was having a nightmare.

She'd had nightmares frequently after they first got back from the Year That Never Was, and they'd become less frequent until they evetually stopped. Then after the 456 incident four months ago, she'd had nightmares about their lost baby, which had also become less and less frequent, but clearly hadn't eventually stopped.

Jack wondered if she'd never got closure on it.

Her dreams about the Master had stopped as soon as they got married. Jack had once wondered if the closure there had come from the fact that the Master had been determined to destroy their relationship, but their relationship had survived, and their marriage proved that.

Clearly she hadn't gotten closure on their baby yet. It still plagued Jack too, but he never had nightmares. He never spoke about it either - it was much easier not to talk about it.

In fact, he realised, with the exception of the one night when they'd made up after their colossal fight, they'd never really discussed the baby. It had been far easier to bottle it up, and Jack sighed as he watched the look of discomfort on her face.

Meanwhile, Lily's dream was on going. Dream Lily opened her mouth to shout but no sound came out. She could hear her name being called from far away, but she couldn't see anyone. She tried to shout back, but she couldn't form any words. The pain was crippling, and she was sure there was no baby now.

Dream Lily heard her name being called a few more times, each time sounding closer and closer.

Suddenly Lily's eyes flew open, her breathing deep and erratic, and she found herself looking into Jack's eyes. He was leaning over her, gripping her arms, and he seemed panicked.

" Lily! " he exclaimed, letting out a sigh of relief when he saw she was awake.

" Oh,"she mumbled as he let go of her, and stopped leaning over her, so she had room to hit up, " it was you shouting me. "

She sat up quite quickly and brought her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her knees. Her breathing was shaky and erratic and she tried to take a deep breath to calm down, but she couldn't.

Everything felt so wrong - she felt like she was back in that moment again, four months ago when she'd lost the baby. All the feelings she'd felt then came rushing back, and Jack hated watching her like this.

He found a lump in his own throat - it had been almost two months since her last nightmare, so they were definitley slowly down, but he had hoped that large gap meant they'd stopped. He wasn't sure what he should say, and he cleared his throat, " Lily? "

She tried to turn to look at him, but the act made her lose all the concentration she was putting into forcing herself not to cry, and suddenly the tears were streaming down her face that fast that she couldn't stop them. She tried to muffle her sobs and rested her arms on her knees, and put her head down on her arms.

She couldn't stop the tears falling or her shoulders shaking and Jack watched her cry, and felt a massive painful lump in his throat.

" It was the baby, wasn't it? " Jack asked, his voice strained.

She nodded without lifting her head, and he heard the sobs become more intensified.

" Hey, hey, come here," he said, knowing that she needed him, and right now he needed her too - they were unit, and they needed to stick together.

He reached out touch her arm, and she was so vulnerable in his arms. She just fell against him, and he immediately wrapped his arms around her tightly, enveloping her warm and safe.

He rested one hand on the back of her head and pressed her face against his chest. He couldn't bear to see her cry, and knowing that she was in so much pain made his own sorrow so much worse.

" It was horrible Jack," she said between sobs, her hands clutching at his arms, as if she was trying to make sure he wasn't going anywhere. She was well aware that this was one of the few times they'd spoke about it, and it was so horrible to think about. " It was really horrible and it all felt so real. It was like it was all happening again. "

Jack nodded, the grief for their baby taking over and he wasn't quite sure what do say. He was thinking about all the death he'd seen, and started picturing what his own child would have looked like, what traits of the two of them their child would have had.

" It's ok," Jack said, holding her tight as he rested his chin on her head and rubbed her back, hoping to soothe her sobs, " baby, you've got me. You're ok, we're ok. I know it was horrible, but we're both safe and you've always got me. "

She nodded, and slowly her sobs subsided, until she'd finished. Jack didn't feel the need to say anything else, as he held her tightly, and when her sobs had finished and they'd both calmed down, he though it was time to talk about the dream, talk about the baby, and talk everything through.

What he didn't know, was that Lily didn't want to talk.

Lily felt like talking would only make her feel so much worse, and all she could think about doing was taking all the pent up emotions she had, and pushing them far away.

Maybe she thought she could take everything she was feeling and turn it into some other emotion. Or maybe she was trying to forget about it all together by distracting herself.

Either way, when Jack's hold on her loosened and he leaned back a little so he could see her face properly, she reached out and laid a hand on his cheek.

She leaned in and slowly pressed her lips to his, and at first he responded. She closed her eyes as she felt the sensation of the kiss tingling through her body, but it wasn't enough.

She could still feel the dream in the back of her mind, and she needed more to distract her.

She deepened the kiss, one hand still on his cheek, but her other hand wandered lower until she was tugging at the waistband of his underwear.

Suddenly Jack - who was usually all for passion, and who had been kissing her back just as deeply until now - realised this wasn't the answer.

He pulled back and shook his head, " Lily, Lily no. "

Her face was still stained with tears, and she shook her head, " What's wrong? "

Jack reached out and took both of her hands in his, as she sat inbetween his legs. " Baby, _this _is wrong," he said, " you can't just take all these feelings you've got and try and push them away. "

" What? Don't be ridiculous," she scoffed, " that's not what I'm doing. "

" I'm serious," he told her, squeezing her hands lightly, " we've never really talked about the baby, and I'm sorry. If this is the effect it's having on you, then I think we need to talk about it. We need to talk about it, not try and distract ourselves every time we think about it, which is what we have been doing. I mean, you _could _have sex with me right now, but I don't think it'd make you feel any better about yourself, would it? "

Lily sighed, tears forming in her eyes, " We don't talk about it because it would hurt too much," she said, shaking her head, " I can't think about it all, what we could have had, what our lives would have been like. "

" I think we need to talk about it," Jack said.

" But _why_? "

" Ok," Jack said, still holding her hands, feeling himself welling up again too, " we need to talk about it because I don't think we can ever have a family together until we've come to terms with this. We can't have a family without putting all the issues surrounding this baby to rest, because I don't know about you, but I don't want to have a baby unless I'm perfectly at peace with my life. Fresh start, and all that. And for another, you can't live like this. I don't want to see you like this, and I don't want you to be plagued by nightmares because we haven't tried to talk about it. "

Lily saw how passionate he was about it, about her, about having a family, and he was so tender in this moment, almost vulnerable.

The fact that he seemed to need this, and the fact that he wanted to talk it through so they coud move on and start a family, was what made her agree.

" Fine," she said, " but I don't know what you expect me to say. There's nothing I can say to make it feel any better. "

Jack smiled softly and he laid back against the pillows, pulling her with him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders as said, " So, tell me about this dream. "

She told him exactly what had happened in her nightmare, and he kept his arm around her the entire time, hugging her close when she got teary eyed, though no tears actually fell.

The tears fell when she'd finished detailing the nightmares, and as always he was there for her. He hadn't spoken once when she'd told him about the nightmare, but now it was finished, he kept an arm around her shoulders, as they sat side by side, and they both turned their heads to face each other.

" You feel better for telling me? " he asked.

" Not really," she admitted, as tears continued to fall.

Jack nodded and reached out to touch her face, wiping away every single tear as it fell, " Listen to me Lily, listen to me. Everything is ok. What happened was horrible, but everything is ok now, and I am never going to let anything like that happen to you again. "

Lily scoffed, " You can't _stop _a miscarriage happening, silly," she said.

" I damned well can," Jack replied, making her smile as he wiped away another tear that fell, " you can bet your sweet arse that when you're pregnant I'll have you under purely boring paperwork duties where you're good and safe. God, I just want you to know that I'm always always here. If there's one thing you must always remember, it's how fiercely devoted to you I am. "

" I know," she said, " I know, and that's got to be your greatest quality in my eyes. "

Jack sighed as when her tears had once again subsided, and it was his turn. There was very little he had to say now he thought about it, but he had to say something, he thought.

" I've never been more devastated, you know," he said quietly.

" R-really? " she asked.

He nodded solemnly, " Felt like we'd been cheated out of something. It just felt so unfair that it ad been ripped away from us. " His face seemed to relax, and it was almost as if he was letting go of all the tension, and all the feelings. He felt like just saying that had lifted a huge weight from his shoulders.

" Does it feel better for you? " Lily asked, " talking about it? "

" Yes," he replied, " sometimes I wonder what a child of ours would be like. Do you ever wonder? "

She smiled a little, " He or she would be a little terror," she said, " imagine my genes combined with yours. That's one hell of a combination. "

Jack chuckled and shifted in the bed until he was lying on his back, and she settled against him, until they were in the relaxed position they'd fallen asleep in. He stroked her hair and said, " I think if we had a daughter, she'd look like you. And she'd be beautiful. "

Lily had once told him that time lord children of course inherited their parents DNA, and when it came to looks, they tended to inherit looks from their parents current regeneration. For instance, when Lily was a child, she'd been the spitting image of the regeneration her mother was in when she was born.

" I think if we had a son, he'd look just like you," Lily said, " your lovely blue eyes, dark hair, handsome face. Tall, like you, with that swagger. Actually, I think any child we had would have all your attitude - confidence, all your attitude, self assured smirk. "

Jack chuckled, " Just imagine you DNA mixed with mine. All those good looks, all that intelligence, all that charm. "

" Maybe they'd have a penchant for world war two clothing," Lily suggested.

Jack grinned, " Maybe they'd want to travel the stars just like we did. "

Lily was feeling so much better now as she thought about it all - yes, Torchwood was dangerous, but there was so much they could give a child, so much love, so many advantages.

" Maybe," she said, " we'd take him or her. Maybe they'd get to go wherever they wanted, with my dad, just like I did. "

Jack smirked, " Imagine your dad, as a grandad. "

" Oh he'd be hilarious," Lily grinned, " he's great with children. Though it would be hilarious, given he only looks like he's in his twenties. Priceless. Oh hey, maybe we could train him or her to annoy the hell out of Owen. "

" Oh baby, there's no maybe about that one," Jack said, " maybe they'd come and fight aliens with us. "

Lily nodded, momentarily thinking about how dangerous the job was, but also how worth it, it was, " Or maybe they'd just want to live like a normal human. "

They both considered it before Jack laughed, " Yeah, right. _That'd _happen. Hey, wouldn't our kid have the coolest collection of aunts and uncles ever - Ianto, Gwen, Tosh and Owen, Mickey and Martha, Rose. "

Lily smiled, " They'd be really lucky, wouldn't they? So much love for one little child. "

Jack smiled and then a thought occured to him, " Hey, what would any child of ours be like? You know, like psychically? "

" You mean as the child of a time lord and an immortal man? " she asked, to which he nodded. She shrugged, " no idea. I don't think it's ever been done before. "

She smiled when she felt him plant a kiss on the top of her head, lips buried in her hair,

" We're good now? " he asked gently.

" We're always good," she replied, " I think you were right. It helped to talk about it a little. "

" I'm always right," Jack said, wearing his favourite smirk.

After a few moments, he was the one to break the silence.

" Lily? " he asked.

He sounded serious and she rolled her a little so she could see his face, " Jack? " she returned.

After a slight pause he said, " I want us to have a baby. Not right now, not too soon. I was thinking maybe give ourselves another year, and maybe consider it then? "

Lily smiled - in a year's time, they'd have been married for almost two years, and they'd have had plenty of time to enjoy each other as a married couple. They'd have left behind everything that had happened to them in the past.

" I think that's a great idea," Lily said, eyes locked on his, " we'll re-open the topic in a year, unless either of us have any deperate urges to discuss it inbetween, I suppose. "

Jack grinned - he was positive that they'd be brilliant parents, but knew he'd love a little more time to themselves too.

Lily felt pretty much the same, and Jack reached out and brushed her hair away from her face, before kissing her forehead, " Go back to sleep, Mrs Harkness. _Everything _is alright now. "

She felt a huge weight lifted from her shoulders and nodded, settling back down against him, " Night Jack. "

* * *

**Authors Note: I know this chapter isn't exactly "blissful" but it seemed right to have some kind of follow up on the miscarriage and children issue, to settle it for their future.  
**  
**Also I was looking up the gap between when Children of Earth took place, and when Miracle Day took place - COE took place in 2009, so this story now is taking place in November 2009. Miracle Day doesn't start until March 2011. ****As you can see in the time frame of the story, there's over a year until miracle day starts and the issue I'm having now is Owen - he's dead so the relationship he and Tosh have got doesn't function properly. I can't leave him dead for all that time - by the time miracle day comes around, he'll have been "dead" for over two years. **

**Credit for the whole idea for this chapter goes to dwatlaskrhtcm :)**


	4. November

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter Four

Two weeks later, it was the last week of November, and at her desk, Lily was staring at her computer, browsing through a few different websites on the internet.

" How's it going? " Ianto asked, putting a cup of coffee down beside her. It was the beginning of the day, and it was always Ianto's routine to start the day off with a cup of coffee for everyone.

She smiled as she spun around in her chair. Ianto sat down on the edge of her desk, and she replied, " I've got a couple of ideas. " She looked around to make sure Jack was still in his office, and added, " apparently the traditional first wedding anniversary is paper, and the modern one is clocks. I thought maybe a wristwatch, and some kind of paper gift, I'm not sure. "

Ianto smiled, " I'm sure whatever you come up with, Jack will love it. "

Lily smiled, " I hope so. "

" What're you two talking about? " Tosh asked, wandering over.

" Anniversary," Lily said, a dreamy smile crossing her face at the thought of it.

" Oh," Tosh said, " I thought it might have been Christmas. I heard Gwen telling Jack we need to trim this place up - I thought maybe you were planning that. "

Lily smiled, " I wasn't, but I will do now," she said, " I can't wait to do the house up too. God, isn't this time of year just brilliant? I'm thinking we should do the whole place up with tinsel, and ... and everything. "

" And mistletoe? " Owen asked, walking up the steps from the medical bay and joining the conversation.

Tosh giggled, and Ianto rolled his eyes, " Trust you to bring up mistletoe. Do you think with a boss like Jack, mistletoe is really a good idea? "

Lily smirked at the thought of it, " I'd say it's neccessary. Anyway what's your plans for Christmas, you lot? "

Owen scoffed, " You mean if we don't get called in to deal with the latest way that the world is about to end? Which we're _bound _to do on one of our very few days off. "

" Well yeah, as long as there's no disasters to sort out, " Lily shrugged, " any plans? "

" Tosh is dragging me to her cousins' place across the city, aren't you, darlin'? " Owen said, reaching out to drape an arm around Tosh's shoulders, " she's just lucky I love her. Not for me ... family stuff. "

" I don't know if to be offended," Lily shrugged.

Owen shrugged, " I suppose I make an exception for special friends, spacegirl. What're you doing, Tea Boy? "

" Owen! " Tosh reprimanded, to which Owen simply grinned and Ianto shook his head, knowing Owen meant very little by it.

Ianto replied, " I'll be going to my sisters. "

Lily nodded, " I thought maybe you could all come over around Christmas time. New Years Eve, I was thinking. We've been living in the house almost two months and no-one's been around yet. I might _even _see what Martha and Mickey are doing. It's been so long since saw Martha. "

The last time Lily had seen Martha had been almost a year ago, when she and Jack got married. Between Martha being so busy at UNIT and she being busy at Torchwood they hadn't had much time to meet since, though they were constantly in contact on the phone.

The last time Jack had seen Martha was several months ago, after the 456 incident, when she and jack had had a terrible falling out, and Lily had gone off with her dad, whilst Jack visited Martha. It had been Martha and Mickey who told him to go home.

" And what does Jack think of these plans? " Owen asked.

Lily shrugged, " He doesn't know yet but he'll agree when I tell him. And he loves Martha to pieces, he'd be thrilled if she came to stay. "

" Didn't Jack kiss her last time she was here? " Tosh asked as she remembered.

Several months before Lily and Jack had gotten married, Martha had visited Torchwood to help them on a case, and when they were all saying goodbye, Martha had said goodbye to Jack by planting a kiss straight on his lips.

" Yeah, but it was fine," Lily shrugged, not fazed, " Owen made us even, didn't he? "

Owen's reaction after Martha had planted a kiss on Jack all those months ago, had been to anounce that he knew how to make it even, before pulling Lily into his arms and planting a firm kiss on her lips.

" You know me, always on hand to help," shrugged Owen.

There was a pause as both Tosh and Owen took their coffee from Ianto, and the four of them stood around together, talking. Lily was close to all three of them, and on a day as slow as this, it was nice to stand around and talk.

She knew that Jack had tried to keep his collegues a little distanced when he ran Torchwood alone, but Lily's appearance on the scene had allowed him to let go, and his collegues became friends.

" Where's Gwen? " Owen asked suddenly, looking round the room, " it's not like her to be _this_ late. "

Ianto was always early for work, often beating Jack and Lily, who both tried to be on time and succeeded most of the time. Tosh was usually next in, also early, unless she had been with Owen. Gwen was usually somewhere between ten minutes and half an hour late, and Owen could regularly be up to an hour late, and was never ever early.

" She isn't late," Ianto replied, " she got here just before you did. "

Lily nodded towards Jack's closed office door, " She's in there, with Jack. Came straight into work this morning, marched over here and told him she needed to speak to him. I guess that was about half an hour ago. "

Owen raised his eyebrows, " Must be a very serious talk. "

" I think she's leaving," Lily said.

" What? "

Lily shrugged, leaning back in her chair, " Why else would she want to talk to him for so long? They can't be talking about a case, or we'd all know about it. And we all know Rhys has been wanting to move away since the 456. Suppose I can understand why. "

" Do you think she'd really leave? " Tosh asked.

Lily considered it for a moment, but then she nodded, " Yeah. She's almost 7 months pregnant - she's constantly in dangerous situations at work, and she's got a husband who she loves, who wants her to move away. I can see her moving away to please him, and to protect her baby. I'm not saying she wouldn't miss it here, and she wouldn't find it hard to leave, but this is bigger than just her. No-one would blame her for moving somewhere quiet and safe for her family. "

Ianto, Owen and Tosh all considered this, and they all knew that it was true.

They stood together in silence for a few moments, before the office door was wrenched open, and a rather upset looking Gwen left. She walked straight past them all and into the kitchen, and it looked like she was crying.

Lily was concerned and frowned after Gwen. She looked at Owen, Tosh and Ianto, who also looked concerned, and Ianto cleared his throat, " Should one of us go talk to her? "

" I think she and Jack have just done enough talking," Owen said, shaking his head, " she probably wants to be left alone. "

From the other side of the room, they heard a deep noise, as someone cleared their throat, and they all glanced towards Jack's office door to see him leaning up against the doorframe, arms folded, looking very authoritive

" Don't you lot have some work to do? " he asked. When none of them replied, Jack rolled his eyes, his best "boss" voice in use, " Owen, I know for a fact you won't have finished the report on yesterday's little visitor. Toshiko, those new updates on the computer system need running today. Ianto, audits. "

Owen reluctantly left, stomping down the stairs to the autopsy bay as he did so, and Ianto and Tosh also moved away. Lily's eyes were fixed on her husband, and she noticed that he looked fed up.

She raised her eyebrows at him and he nodded before retreating inside his office. Their silent conversation was one only a couple who knew each other inside out could share.

Jack's nod could have been a nod that he was alright, but she knew it was an admission that he was alright to talk about it, and that it was a conversation he didn't want to have in the middle of the hub.

She followed him into the office and closed the door after her.

Jack was standing in the middle of the office, and when he saw her, he relaxed a little. His shoulders slumped, and he shook his head, " I just made a pregnant woman cry. Does that make me a bad person? "

Lily couldn't resist a smile, " Oh kitten, I'm sure it won't be the first time you make a pregnant woman cry. "

" Huh? " he frowned, looking confused.

Lily smirked, " I don't know if you've noticed but pregnant woman are emotional at the best of times. I'm sure you'll make me cry a few times when it's our turn. "

" I'd never make you cry! " he said, sounding outraged.

She giggled a little at the expression on his face, " Not on purpose, I know, I know," she said, " and not in a nasty way. But in answer to your question, you're not a bad person. Tell me about it. "

" She's leaving," Jack said.

Lily raised her eyebrows, " She's really leaving? Straight away? "

" After the baby's born," Jack replied simply. There was a long pause, and she could see that Jack was struggling with the idea of it. He took a few steps backwards and sat on the edge of his desk.

" She's really going," he said, " apparently she and Rhys have talked about it and talked about it, and he's adamant that living in Cardiff, working for Torchwood, is just the wrong environment. Gwen says when she thinks back to the 456 - the lot of us being hunted down, people trying to hunt us and kill us - she agrees. They're going to have the baby, and move away. "

Lily nodded, taking it in. Gwen's baby was due in a little over two months, which meant she'd be gone shortly. Although she and Gwen had never been best friends, she could appreciate how Gwen and Jack had always been fairly close, and it would affect Jack.

" How do you feel? " Lily asked softly.

Jack shook his head but then nodded, looking up at her, " Guilty. Gwen had a normal life until I dragged her into all of this, and now she's been exposed to so much that she feels she's got to move away, hide herself away, just to feel safe again. "

" It's not your fault," Lily told him.

" Isn't it? " he asked, " I dragged her into all of this. "

" No," she insisted, " you offered her a job, and she accepted. She's been working here a while, and she loved it. This job might be difficult but she's seen so much, she certainly doesn't regret any of that. "

" But she's moving away! "

" Don't raise your voice to me, Jack Harkness," Lily replied. Her voice didn't rise but the tone of her voice was stern enough and the use of his full name alerted him to the fact that he ought to correct himself.

Jack met her eyes, and he looked sincere. " I'm sorry," he said quickly, " I'm sorry, I've got no reason to shout at you. I'm just frustrated. " She simply looked at him, and he held up his hands, " I'm sorry. Sorry. "

She nodded, and knew that was sincere enough. They were solid, and their little clashes meant nothing, as they both apologised immediately afterwards. " I know. " Her lips twitched into a smile, " you didn't need to apologise four times. Once would hae done. And I know you think it's your fault with Gwen, but it's really not. You gave her the opportunity to get a glimpse of something beyond her dreary human life, and she loved it. She might be moving away, but she won't ever regret that she did this. "

Jack sighed, and realised that her words were true. He reached out to her with one hand and she smiled and moved closer. He stood up off the desk and drew her to him, wrapping his arms around her.

He leaned down and buried his face in her hair as he closed his eyes and took comfort in her embrace. " How do you always know exactly what to say? "

She smiled and shook her head, " I don't. Or I'm perfect. Take your pick. "

Jack's laugh was muffled as he hid his face in her neck, and he sighed, " I'm going to miss her," he said.

She nodded, hugging him tightly, " I know kitten, I know. "

" She's a great addition to this team," Jack sighed, " and she's always been there to talk to. She was great before you got here. "

Lily knew exactly what he meant but she couldn't resist the playful smirk on her face as she pulled back a little, " Really? "

Jack rolled his eyes, " Great _to talk to._ You know how I was before you got here. Locking myself away from everyone, trying to block out the pain I was feeling from losing you by shutting everyone else off. Gwen spoke to me, tried to draw me out of it, tried to help. She ... it'll be weird without her. "

Lily nodded and as his hold on her loosened, she reached out to lay both her hands on his face, " Just remember that it's not your fault. I promise. "

Jack nodded wordlessly, and she leaned in and planted a kiss on his lips. When they broke apart, she stroked his cheek lightly, " Now, get yourself into gear, Captain. You've got a pile of paperwork to do. "

He smirked a little, feeling better, and raised his hand in a slow salute, " Yes ma'am. "

When Lily left the office, Gwen still wasn't behind her desk, but Owen was sitting at hers. " Owen," she sighed, " what're you doing? Jack told you, you've got work to do. "

" Oh you're not going to begrudge me a little gossip, are you? "

" She's leaving, that's all there is to know," Lily said, " now get off my desk so I can finish my reports. "

" Alright, I'm going, I'm going," he sighed dramatically as he stood up.

When Gwen returned to her desk ten minutes later, hands resting protectively on her bump, she simply looked at Lily and Tosh, neither of whom knew quite what to say.

" It's just something I've got to do," Gwen said, " it's not that I won't miss working here, because I will. I will miss it so much, but I've got to do it for my marriage, and for my baby. It's the right thing to do. "

Lily understood what it was like to make difficult decisions and she nodded, " If that's what you want to do. "

" It is," Gwen said firmly.

" Right," Lily nodded, " well Jack's going to miss you. The _team _is going to miss you, so I suggest you make your last two months count. Any idea where you're going to go? "

Gwen seemed to relax a little and replied, " Rhys has been looking into some little beachfront cottages. We're not sure yet. "

The rest of that day was quiet and that evening, after they went home, Lily made herself a few slices of toast and went into the living room. As she slumped down onto the sofa, she heard the front door open and close again - Jack entering the house after having put the SUV safely away in the garage.

He came into the living room, minus his greatcoat, which she knew he would have hung up in the hallway with the greatest of care. He flopped down onto the sofa in one swift movement, his arm going around her shoulders, and he reached out to steal a slice of toast from her.

" Hey," she laughed, slapping the back of his hand.

He just grinned and took a bite of the toast, before winking at her. She rolled her eyes and bit into another of the slices. " Why can't you get your own food? "

" I hate cooking," he replied, " don't know how. "

" Yeah, because I'm that guy on the telly that swears all the time," she returned, shaking her head as she reached out for the tv remote. It was true that neither of them were particuarly good at cooking, and Lily knew she'd have to learn one day, but they were both happy to live off things that were easy to cook.

" Gordon Ramsay, baby," he told her.

She nodded and handed him the remote, before resting her head against his shoulder. He chuckled as he held her, " Everything alright? "

" Just fancied a cuddle," she said.

Jack was more than happy to comply, and he put the remote aside, not caring what channel he'd left it on. " It doesn't matter that Gwen's leaving. I mean, I'll be sad she's gone, but we can cope. I've got you, haven't I? "

Lily smiled mischeviously, " How can you even think of Gwen when you've got me? "

Jack shrugged, " Probably the same way you can think about Ianto and Owen, when you've got me. "

Lily giggled and they spent a while just curled up together on the sofa. After a while, Lily said, " I was thinking maybe we could invite Martha and Mickey over for christmas. "

Jack didn't reply straight away, " Christmas day? But I ... I was thinking, it's our first christmas being married! "

She laughed as she realised he was clearly looking forwards to spending christmas with her, and she shook her head at him, " Well, don't be silly, of course we're spending christmas together. And it's Martha and Mickey's first christmas together too. I thought maybe they could come up afterwards, in time for the new year. "

" Oh," he said, " well, yeah, of course! "

Lily grinned, " I knew you'd say that - it'd be great to have Martha around, wouldn't it? It's been too long since we all got to see her properly. "

" End of the world survivors reunited," Jack mumbled, " well, plus Mickey. Having Mickey stay could be interesting. "

Lily shook her head at him, " Yeah, I'm sure you'll rub him up the wrong way, like you manage to do everyone else. "

" Not _everyone," _Jack said, poking her side and making her squirm.

She slapped his hand playfully, " Well, men anyway. "

" I can't help it if they're threatened by me," Jack replied, " which they completely are. "

She laughed at his attitude and was in the process of leaning over and claiming a kiss from him, when she heard a very familiar noise. She froze, one hand on his cheek and the other flat against his chest, her face only centimetres from his.

He raised his eyebrows at her as his arms moved to encircle her waist, and she shook her head a fraction, listening out for the noise. She was certain she'd heard it now, and their eyes were locked on each others.

Slowly, a big manic grin crossed her face - a grin that reminded Jack strongly of her dad's tenth incarnation, and a grin that was usually always reserved for the appearance of her dad.

Lily leaned in to pacify Jack with a quick kiss, before practically leaping off the sofa. He had to smile when he heard the front door open and close again - when it came to her dad, she was like a child, but he couldn't say he blamed her. Not when the Doctor was so unique and Jack himself looked forward to seeing the Doctor everytime he came around.

By the time Jack had followed his wife out of the house, the TARDIS was materialising on the pavement. He sauntered down to the end of the garden path and wrapped his arms around Lily's waist from behind.

She instantly relaxed back against him and grinned as he rested his chin on her shoulder. There was something so comfortable about her man just wandering up and wrapping his arms around her.

They watched as the TARDIS materialised in front of them, and seconds later, the doors opened, and the Doctor strolled out.

He looked around and grinned, " So I got the right place. I'd almost forgotten the adress. "

They hadn't seen the Doctor since he'd dropped them off after his regeneration, and he'd ever actually seen their house. The plan had been for him to come and take them somewhere where they could buy their furniture cheap, but having just regenerated and taken on Amy, it hadn't happened, and Ianto had ended up accompanying them on several trips to ikea.

Although she'd initially had trouble adjusting to this latest version of her dad, he was still her dad, and Lily was always happy to see him.

" Dad," she grinned, " what're you doing here? "

The Doctor gave her a smile, " I would have thought that was obvious. No hug for your old dad? "

She didn't need to be told twice and she flew at him. He laughed and closed his arms around her, and she smiled as he hugged her tightly. His face now hidden from Lily's view, Jack noticed the grin on the Doctor's face fade away. Clearly he was putting on a facade for his daughter.

Jack smiled when he saw Rose follow the Doctor out of the TARDIS, and he moved forward to hug her. He also noticed that she seemed to be forcing a smile.

When Lily broke away from her dad, she also hugged Rose, and she smiled at Amy, who was anxiously hanging around by the door of the TARDIS.

" This is such a surprise," Lily grinned, " come in, you can see the house! I've never had a house before, it's brilliant! "

The Doctor smiled, " Come on then, give me the grand tour. "

From behind them, Rose cleared her throat, " Doctor, I think I'll go see my mum and dad. "

Lily frowned a little - Rose didn't seem quite her cheery self somehow, " You sure you don't want to come in for a drink or something first Rose? "

Rose gave her an almost apologetic smile, " I really should go see my mum. " She moved closer to the Doctor and the Doctor leaned down and planted a brief kiss on her cheek.

Rose left them, and Lily all but dragged her dad into her house. Jack smiled at Amy, who was watching the time lords with amusement, " Come on," he said, " best leave them two to it. You can tell me all about the places the Doctor has take you to so far. "

Lily showed her dad around the whole house, and from the living room Jack smiled as he heard his father-in-law declare that everything in the house was brilliant.

When they eventually joined them in the living room, the Doctor grinned and sat down on the sofa beside Jack, clapping a hand to the other man's shoulder.

" I've got to say Jack, you've got yourself a good thing here," the Doctor said, whilst Lily sat down on the sofa table, smiling at Amy, who'd taken a seat in the armchair.

Jack nodded, looking around the room, " Yeah, it's great, isn't it? " He was about to continue, when his eyes fell on Lily, " why are you sitting on the coffee table? You tell _me _off for sitting on it. "

Lily shrugged, " Because I'm less likely to break the coffee table. "

" Look at you two," grinned the Doctor, " you're so domesticated. "

" We are not! " Jack insisted as though the thought was offensive, " _we _are professional alien catchers. We're tough, and ... and ... "

" Give it a rest," the Doctor said, " you're a professional alien catcher with a wife an a normal 3 bedroomed semi detached house. It's good, Jack, it really is. "

Jack smiled fondly at Lily and she grinned at him. Amy was looking between them all, and after a pause, she asked, " So, you're her dad? You're not her brother? "

All three of them laughed and Lily shrugged, " See that's the problem with you daring to regenerate to look younger than me. "

" Oh, sorry! " the Doctor said as he looked at Amy, " I should have said! Yes, Lily is my daughter. It's ... well, you already know that I'm much older than I look, and you know that time lords can change their faces, their whole bodies. She changed hers a while ago, and ended up looking as lovely as she does now, and then I changed to look like this. Obviously looking older than her I can no longer pretend to be her dad, in front of humans who would never understand us. I suppose when you were travelling with us, I should have set you straight, but I hadn't gotten around to it until now. "

Amy nodded, taking it in, and looked at Lily, " Does it freak you out? You know, your dad looking younger than you? "

Lily laughed, " Absolutely. You seem to be taking it well. "

Amy shrugged, " He's a 900 and something year old time travelling alien. I don't think anything I learn after that is going to be much of a shock. "

Lily nodded, vaguely impressed with her attitude, and she looked at Jack, " Aren't you going to make my dad a drink or something? "

Jack chuckled as he stood up, " Never move in with a woman, Doctor. All they do is boss you about," he said, ruffling Lily's hair up as he passed her, and causing her to swat his hands away, though she was grinning.

Stopping in the doorway, Jack looked back at the Doctor, " What d'you want? "

A few minutes later, Jack came into the room with a glass of apple juice for the Doctor, and a coffee each for himself, Amy and Lily. As he handed Lily hers, he shrugged, " It's no Ianto coffee, but it's a damned sight better than yours. "

" Thanks," she mumbled, though she knew it was true. She now took the time to look at her dad and noticed for the first time that he didn't seem as upbeat as usual. Now he was just sitting down, his face seemed to fall, and Lily frowned,

" So, what's the reason for this surprise visit, Dad? " she asked, " not that I'm not pleased to see you, but you usually go meet celebrities or visit alien planets when you're bored. And you usually ring ahead if you're visiting us. "

The Doctor hesitated for a moment and then sighed, " Just needed to talk. Things have been ... odd ... recently. Rose said she needed to come and talk to her mum about stuff, and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to visit my darling daughter. "

Jack cleared his throat, and the Doctor chuckled, " Yes, and my favourite son in law too. "

Jack grinned but then narrowed his eyes, " _Only _son-in-law. "

The Doctor shrugged, " Unless we're counting dear old Will Shakespeare. "

Jack narrowed his eyes at the Doctor, " We _don't _count bloody Shakespeare around here, thank you very much," he said, his tone commanding.

" Wait," Amy frowned, on the edge of her seat, " William Shakespeare is your son in law? Or was your son in law? How? How many kids have you got, Doctor? "

" Just the one," the Doctor said with a mischevious smile, to which Jack frowned and continued on his rant.

" Shakespeare's an arrogant, self absorbed - "

" Don't be jealous," Lily laughed, shaking her head at her husband.

Jack shrugged, " Just saying. "

" Wait," Amy said, as she thought about it, " so _you _and Shakespeare? "

" Oh it was a long time ago," shrugged Lily. Frowning, she added, " Dad! You've managed to completely divert the subject away from yourself. I can tell there's something going on here - why did Rose need to come and see her mum? What stuff did she need to talk about? "

After a pause, the Doctor looked up and met her eyes. Slowly he looked from her to Jack, and back again and then shook his head, " Maybe I shouldn't be bothering you with it. "

" Are you joking? " Lily scoffed, " when have we ever kept secrets from each other? You obviously felt the need to come and talk to someone, and we're here. "

Lily wasn't sure what she was expecting him to say, but she didn't think she was expecting him to say what he did.

" Rose doesn't like me," he said.

" Huh? " Lily asked, shaking her head.

" Just hasn't adjusted," the Doctor said, looking completely dejected and staring down at his hands, " I thought she'd adjust - I mean, it's Rose, after all. Rose and me - how could it not work out? And even you, Lils, struggled at first but you accepted me, so I just thought she would too. "

" But ... she hasn't? " Jack asked carefully.

" Nope," the Dcotor said. After a pause, he said, " At first, I barely noticed it. I expected her to find the transition difficult. But then I noticed she was distant. It's the little things, you know? The look in her eye wasn't quite the same, the smile wasn't as bright. When I hugged her, she was still affectionate and everything, but it wasn't quite the same. And the kissing ... "

" I don't know if I need details here, Dad," Lily grimaced.

The Doctor's features briefly flickered into a smile, but his face soon fell again. He seemed to be putting on a mask, but she knew he'd be devastated, " We just don't go together quite like we used to. It's hard to explain. I suppose you two might not understand ... not when you're so blatantly perfect for each other. "

Lily couldn't resist smiling in Jack's direction, only to see him already smiling at her.

The Doctor sighed heavily and shook his head, " She just doesn't want me. Not like this. "

" Dad," Lily sighed, " you can't say that! "

The Doctor shook his head again and after a pause added, " We talked about it. Just before we came here. Amy was in the library, and Rose and I decided we had to talk about it. She told me it's just not the same anymore - I'm not _her _Doctor. And I ... I must admit that the way I feel about her ... " he sighed, and then added, " it's not that I don't love her. I'll always love her, but it doesn't feel quite the same. It's a different kind of love. I ... I don't know. Neither of us can deny that things have changed. "

There was a long pause, during which neither Jack nor Lily knew what to say, and Jack eventually sighed, " Wow. Doc, I never thought ... you and Rose. "

" What are you going to do? " Lily asked quietly, " what on _earth _are you going to do? "

The Doctor shook his head, " I don't know. It's a damned mess. She's seen the stars, she's half time lord now, she can't just leave. "

Jack frowned, " But she's not immortal, is she? I mean, doesn't work like that, does it? She's half human, so she ages, right? "

The Doctor nodded, " Yeah. I just don't know what we're going to do. I suppose if she wants to leave, then thats that. Maybe we could ... maybe we could just be friends, if it doesn't feel right? "

" Has that ever worked? " Amy asked, feeling brave enough to intrude upon a conversation between the man she didn't know that well yet, and his daughter and son in law, " I mean, exes staying friends. "

Lily grimaced, " Oh Dad, as much as I hate to admit it ... it's tricky. Maybe if it was just a casual thing, I could see people staying friends, but two people who were so in love ... I don't know Dad. It could be awfully tricky. "

" I know," he admitted, " I know that really, I'm just ... trying to think of a way out, I suppose. I don't know what I'm going to do. I ... I did have a few ideas, but they're mad. "

" Aren't all your ideas mad? " Lily asked.

" What's this idea of yours then? " Jack asked.

" S'nothing," the Doctor replied, " I just don't know what I'm going to do. "

Lily sighed and she looked into her dad's eyes. " Dad," she said in a soft tone, " what you need to do is talk to Rose. You need to figure out how you actually feel about each other, talk about it, and then figure out what you both want to do from here on. If she doesn't want to stay, then you're going to have to face up to that. "

The Doctor nodded, " You're right. God knows when you got so grown up. "

She shrugged, " Dad, I know it must be awful, but please, please don't get too down. You've been through so much. Your relationship with Rose might have changed, but you'll always have a lot of love for each other. "

The Doctor nodded, and he looked around the room, as if he was trying to distract from it all, before leaning forwards and patting her knee, " I don't think you showed me the back garden, darling, come to think of it. "

Lily watched him leave the room, and when he had, she looked at Jack. Jack nodded, " Go on love," he said, touching her arm as she passed him, and sliding his hand down her arm until he was holding her hand, " I'm sure I'll keep Amy entertained. "

Lily rolled her eyes, " Do try and behave yourself, kitten. " Looking at Amy, she added, " don't let him give you any bother. He starts, feel free to slap him. "

Jack shook his head and raised his eyebrows, " See how I get treated in my own home? " With a smirk, he tugged her hand towards his lips and kissed the back of it.

Lily grinned at his whole attitude, and left the room once he'd given her her hand back. She went into the kitchen to find the back door open, and she slipped into the back garden to see her dad standing there, leaning against the wall.

" It's nice," he said when she joined him.

" Come off it," she scoffed, " you clearly "wanted to see the garden" so you could tell me something. What's going on? "

There was a long pause, during which he looked very far away, and after a few moments, he replied, " I've got an idea. That is, something that could make her happy, I think."

" Really? "

He sighed and then nodded, hands stuffed deep inside his pockets, " Yeah. What should I do, if I've got a plan that I think will allow her to live happily, even if it means sending her away from me? "

Lily paused to think about it, " I don't know, Dad. Maybe if you told me what you've got planned?"

He shrugged, " Haven't got the details worked out yet, but you know me - my ideas usually always work out. Thing is, there's that old saying, isn't there. If you love someone, let them go. And I do love her - it's like no-one before her, and I want what's best for her. Even if it means I won't have her anymore. "

She glanced up at him and saw his eyes starting to mist over, clearly trying to stop himself from showing her how upset he really was about it all.

" I'm sure you'll figure it out, Dad," she said, " you're strong, and you've got through a lot of things. "

He nodded.

They stood together for a few moments in silence, before the Doctor turned to his daughter, " Thank you," he said, slowly reaching out to rest his hands on her shoulders.

" Haven't done anything," Lily replied, " aren't you going to tell me the plan? "

He smiled gently and leaned down to plant a kiss on her forehead, before pulling her into his arms. He hugged her to him and chuckled, " You being here to listen is enough. And no. I haven't worked it out yet. I'm going to talk to her, anyway. We'll work something out. Can't go on growing apart, not sure where we stand. "

Lily nodded, and the embrace was warm, neither of them breaking the hug. A few moments later, she looked up at him when they broke apart, " You know even if you don't work this out, you'll always be special to her, don't you? She'll always love you, even if it's not quite the way she loved ... well, she loved Ten. "

The Doctor chuckled a little, " Ten was pretty great, wasn't he? Although, I don't think Eleven's going too badly, is he? "

" No. No Dad, he's not," Lily said, " c'mon let's get back in there before Jack scares Amy away from the lot of us forever. "

" I'm just surprised he hasn't flirted with me yet," the Doctor shrugged as they went back into the kitchen, " he usually likes to get his flirting in within the first five minutes. "

Lily grimaced at the thought of Jack's need to flirt with everyone - which never bother her, until it involved her own dad, " Don't remind me. "

The conversation had moved on by the time they got back to the living room, and the Doctor was his more upbeat self as he and Amy recounted some of their latest adventures to Jack and Lily, who returned the favour by telling a few stories of what had fallen through the rift recently.

They stayed a while, until the Doctor realised it was the early hours of the morning and Jack and Lily were running on human time and would be at work in the morning.

Rose's mum had evidently also made her aware of the time, and she met Amy and the Doctor outside the TARDIS. Lily smiled and said goodbye to Amy, before turning to her dad, who she gave the warmest of hugs to, along with a whispered promise that everything would be aright. Lastly, she hugged Rose, well aware that it could be one of the last times she saw Rose and her dad going off travelling together.

When they'd gone and Jack had locked the front door after them, he reached out in one swift movement and pressed Lily up against the wall of the hallway, before pressing himself up against her.

She giggled as he reached out and stroked her cheek with the backs of the finger tips of one hand.

He was kissing her before she knew what was going on, and it soon became a heated, passionate kiss, quick, breathless and almost desperate.

When they broke apart, her arms were around him, hands curled into the material of the shirt on his back, " What was that for? " she breathed, quite enjoying the fact that he'd not moved away from her and was still pressed up against her.

" God I love you," he said, before leaning in and starting off another kiss - this one slow but short.

" I know you do," she said, placing her hands on his chest and pushing him back ever so slightly, so she had enough room to slip out from between him and the wall. She took his hand and started towards the staircase.

She was at the bottom of it when he pulled her back to him lightly and wasted no time in leaning in again. She giggled at the way he made her feel so young, and the way he was so playful and mischevious, and she certainly didn't waste any time in returning the kiss.

When this kiss ended, Jack's hands slid from her waist over her body with a cheeky grin, before he took her face in his hands. His hands resting on her cheeks, he was wearing one of his best grins as he leaned in and kissed her lips again.

Lily giggled as they broke apart, and she allowed her own hands to reach out to him, taking his hips in her hands and pulling him towards her a little more, " You're in a very loving mood, aren't you? "

He shrugged, " Mrs Harkness, you deserve it. " Holding her in his arms he continued, " just thinking about how your dad and Rose, who always seemed so perfect, might be splitting up, reminds me how lucky we are to have each other. "

She grinned, " Oh, that's soppy. "

" I know," he shrugged.

Once again lightly pushing his weight off her, Lily took his hand and started up the staircase, " Every word true, though. We can talk about Dad and Rose later. " Pulling him up the staircase after her, she grined, " c'mon lover. "

" Oh, you don't need to tell me twice. "

**Author's Note: Just to clear it up, I'm thinking of a way of making Owen un-dead.**


	5. Mistletoe

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter Five

" What's all this rubbish? "

Lily, currently standing on a chair outside Jack's office, looked over her shoulder at Owen and shook her head, sticking the final drawing pin in the red tinsel above the office door, " Rubbish? I'm getting into the Christmas spirit. "

Owen scoffed, " For God's sake, it's only the 1st of December. Are you going to spend the next four weeks putting sparkly stuff everywhere? I mean, what's the point ... ow! "

Both Tosh and Gwen, sitting at their desks, laughed as Jack slapped the back of Owen's head whilst walking past him.

" Less of the cheek," Jack said in his best warning tone, " there's nothing wrong with a bit of Christmas spirit. "

Lily grinned as Jack strolled over to her, " Thank you," she said, glancing over at Owen, " it's nice to know that _somebody _isn't being the grinch. "

" Give over," Owen scoffed, " _you _could hang cotton wool up and he wouldn't mind. Wrapped round the little finger ain't he? "

" I am not," Jack insisted as he held out both of his hands for Lily. She took hold of them both as she jumped down from the chair, and when she was standing on the floor Jack wasted no time in leaning down and capturing her lips in a short kiss.

Jack grinned when they broke apart, and he planted a kiss on her cheek before he mumbled, " Mmmm I love you, and now I have to leave. "

" Huh? "

" Oh baby, you're not the only one with christmas decorations in mind. You lot can manage for a bit by yourselves, can't you? " he asked, looking around at them all.

" We're hardly snowed under," Ianto said cooly, as he sat on the edge of Lily's desk, sifting through the piles of tinsel she'd brought in with her that morning.

" UNIT need your report today, actually," Lily told Jack, reaching out for his arm before he could leave the hub.

He gave her a look and she rolled her eyes, " Fine. But you owe me. "

Jack pouted, " But you can write much faster than me anyway. "

" But it's your job," she said, copying his pout.

He shrugged, " Fine. I owe you. Make it up to you, gorgeous," he promised, cupping her face in his hands and leaning down. She smiled and happily shared a kiss with him, and then watched as he swept out of the hub.

She shook her head when he'd gone, " Honestly," she sighed, " leader of an organisation monitoring a rift in space and time, and he wants to go out shopping. "

Owen laughed, " Like you're any better? "

Lily shrugged, " Well at least I'm in the hub. Now, Ianto, where d'you reckon this silver should go? " she asked, plucking a long piece of tinsel off her desk.

Lily had finished trimming up the hub when she heard the alarm from the cog door blaring out, signalling that Jack must have arrived back. She was sitting behind her desk, her head down, hand flying across the page as she worked on the paperwork.

" I'm back! " he called out.

" Hey, kitten," Lily smiled, though she didn't look up from the paperwork. She heard him approaching her desk and her smile turned mischevious as she asked, " can I help you? "

" Look," he said.

There was a playful tone in his voice and she looked up obediently, at the same time that Jack leaned over the desk and held his arm up above them.

She followed the line of his arm with her eyes and grinned when she saw what he held in his hand.

" Come on," Jack grined as she looked back at him, " you know the tradition. I won't have people around here disrespecting the ancient tradition of mistletoe. "

" No, that'd be terrible, wouldn't it? " Lily laughed, putting her pen down and taking control of the kiss by laying both of her hands on his cheeks.

He was laughing as he leaned in and their lips met, and Lily turned it into a forceful kiss, her tounge begging for access to his mouth before long. She felt him smile against her lips as he very willingly opened his mouth, and turned it into a heated kiss.

When they broke apart, Jack nodded, " Right. I should get on with hanging this up. " He bent down and when he straightened up, he was holding a whole box of mistletoe, to which she laughed, and around them Gwen shook her head fondly and Tosh also smiled.

" Where are you putting it? " she asked.

There was a mischevious glint as he replied, " Oh, _everywhere_. Got some for the house too. "

She nodded and as he walked towards his office, called out, " Hey, just remember, we're not the only people who work here. You get caught under the mistletoe with Owen and it's your own fault. "

Jack shrugged, " I think I can handle that. "

" Fine," she smirked, enjoying winding him up, " but if you catch me under the mistletoe with Ianto, that'll be your own fault too. "

Jack's smile actually slipped at the thought of someone else kissing his wife, as he momentarily forgot that firstly she was jokingly, and secondly, Ianto was so reserved and so lovely that he'd never do that.

" Beg your pardon? "

The calm voice of Ianto came as he walked up the new staircase that led down to the archives, with a few files in his hands, and he had clearly just heard the last thing Lily had said.

Lily giggled, " It doesn't matter, sweetie. It was hypothetical. I was just pointing out to Jack that covering every inch of the hub in mistletoe might result in a few unwanted situations. "

" Ah," Ianto nodded, " I _did _tell you last week that having a boss like Jack and a load of mistletoe hanging around, were a bad combination. "

" Look," Jack said, " I'm in charge around here, and the mistletoe is going where I put it. "

He was cut off by the phone ringing, and went into his office, slamming the door after him. Lily glanced at the closed door and then looked up at Ianto, " Did you manage to order the um ... the thing for me? " she asked, glancing nervously at the office door.

One of her anniversary presents for Jack had been ordered online, but she'd had to go to Ianto for help when she realised she didn't know what all the different numbers on her debit card were. She'd never got the hang on the bank account she'd set up for her Torchwood wage - under a fake name of course - and Ianto had been very helpful in ordering for her.

" Done it," he said, as he held out the file in his hand, " and these are the notes on that thing we found last week. " He handed her another, " and this is Owen's report on the new specimen on blowfish for you to double check. "

She grinned as she took them from him, " Thanks sweetie. I really don't know how we'd do it without you. "

" So you figured out what to buy him, then? " Tosh asked.

Lily nodded, " Couple of things. I'm sure he'll love them. "

" He'd love anything you gave him," Ianto assured her, just as Gwen got back from yet another toilet break caused by her pregnancy, now 8 months pregnant, and huge.

She shrugged, " Maybe so, but he's going to really like these presents, I think. Put a lot of thought into it, you know? "

" And where's he taking you? " Tosh asked.

" I'm sure he'll have something romantic planned," Gwen sighed, " wish I could have gotten Rhys to do something big and romantic for ours. It was nice, of course, but it was a quiet night in. "

Lily opened her mouth to respond but then realised she didn't know, " I ... I'm not sure what we're doing. " The office door opened just in time for Lily to shout in her husband's direction, " Jack! Tosh and Gwen want to know what we're doing for our anniversary. "

Jack looked ready to leave, his greatcoat on and all fastened up, and he looked taken aback by the question, as he replied, " Don't worry, I've got it all planned out. It's a surprise. "

" Something going on? " she asked, too aware that he was ready to leave to think about their anniversary celebrations.

" Yeah, weevils," he replied briskly " that's what the phonecall was. Got to go. "

" Not like weevils to be out at this time," Gwen spoke up, glancing at the clock - it was only the middle of the afternoon.

Jack nodded, " I know," he said, watching Lily get up from her desk as soon as she'd heard what was going on, " still, they are a little unstable, aren't they? I think we're looking at abandoned warehouses though, so I guess that makes sense. " Without taking his eyes off Lily, he shouted, " Owen! Get over here! Ianto, get your coat. "

Lily pulled on her coat and was in the process of fastening it up, when Jack cleared his throat.

" Ok, so standard procedure. The four of us will go, Tosh, Gwen, you get footage of the warehouse up, get a track on the weevils, stay in touch over the comms," Jack ordered, as he, Lily, Ianto and Owen stood together, putting their coats on, ready to leave.

As Lily turned back to turn her computer off, Owen called out, " Oi! Spacegirl! "

Lily turned around in time to see Owen lifting up her favourite stun gun and he threw it at her, despite Ianto's protests that it wasn't very safe. She caught it deftly, and Ianto rolled his eyes at the pair of them.

As they left the hub, Jack rested a hand on Lily's back, " D'you think I should put some mistletoe up over this cog door? "

Lily giggled, " Shut up about the mistletoe, will you? "

Jack pouted, " Don't be like that. I promise you're soon going to love with mistletoe. "

" I don't need mistletoe to kiss my husband," she told him as they followed Ianto and Owen out to the SUV.

Jack shrugged, " Well maybe the mistletoe isn't just for _you. "_

_" _Oh really? " she asked, looking up at him with mock-indignation, " who else are you wanting to kiss? "

" It's a secret," he shrugged.

Lily shrugged as she yanked open the passenger door of the SUV, " Ah don't worry about it. I've got my secrets too. "

As they all climbed into the car, Jack nodded, slamming the door after him. " If you say so. " Suddenly he frowned as he turned to look at her, " hey, wait, have you really? Because I was only joking about mine. "

She smiled and leaned over to plant a kiss on his cheek, " Just drive. "

As Jack gave her his most charming grin, Owen groaned, " Yes Jack, for the love of God, just drive. "

Lily looked over her shoulder at Owen, " You know, you get grumpier and grumpier every day. "

Owen shrugged, " And you two get more and more sickening by the day. "

" Sickening? " Lily repeated, shaking her head at her friend, " you must be confused. The word you're looking for is adorable. "

It didn't take them long to get to the warehouse, where they soon found out there were three weevils. It didn't take them long to track the three down, and they split up - Ianto with Jack, and Owen with Lily.

Owen and Lily had already taken one out, when they heard growling behind them

" Looks like we've found our third," Lily mumbled as Ianto and Jack had already informed them that they'd taken one out, " go steady," she warned as she held up her stun gun, bracing herself.

The weevil acted fast, darting towards them both, and it launched it made a swipe for Owen, which he dodged, though he tripped a little and knocked into Lily.

Caught by surprise, she tripped backwards and lost balance, landing on the floor, her stun gun being knocked out of her hand. She heard Owen shouting, though she didn't make out any words, and before the knew it, the weevil had advanced on her.

She rolled over, trying to dodge it and get back up to her feet, but the weevil was lunging for her before she knew it.

" Shoot it! " she screamed at Owen.

" I can't! " he bellowed, moving closer, gun in his hand, " I might shoot _you_! "

" Bloody do something! "

" I'm trying! "

She scrambled to her feet, just as the weevil lunged for her and knocked her to the ground again before she'd had chance to get her gun, and she felt a sharp pain in her arm, then something warm tricking down her arm. She felt more pain, and it was clear that the weevil had clawed at her again, this time at her side.

She groaned with the pain as the weevil suddenly disappeared from her line of vision, allowing her chance to sit up as best she could. She saw that Owen had grabbed the weevil by the back of its boiler suit and pulled it off her, taking all his strength.

She watched as he threw it to the ground and then aimed his gun and she closed her eyes and stopped trying to sit up when she heard the gun shot.

The weevil had torn at her arm and side and although she knew it was unlikely to be life threatening, it damned well hurt. Pain coursed through those parts of her body and she shook her head as Owen moved over to her and knelt at her side.

" This shirt's going to be bloody ruined. And I _really _liked this shirt," she sighed.

" Lie back," Owen told her.

" Owen, I'm fine," she told him, shaking her head.

He narrowed his eyes at her, " I'm the doctor around here. Lie back and let me have a look at you. "

As she sighed and gave in, she lie back and allowed Owen to start pulling her coat off her arms, wincing where it stuck to her bloodied arm. Owen pulled a face when he saw it, " Ok," he said, " losing a fair bit of blood here, need to get this treated immediately. And I need to have a look at this one," he added, gently touching her side, as he tired to figure out how deep it was.

" Tell Jack and Ianto where we are," Lily ordered, " tell Jack to come up here," she hissed in pain," and have Ianto go for the first aid kit from the SUV. You'll have to - ahhh, ow - you'll have to stem the bleeding for now, and treat it back at the hub. "

" I've already told you, I'm the medical officer around here," Owen said, shaking his head at her as he quickly pressed her coat back over her arm, well aware that she was losing a lot of blood from it.

" Then what do you suggest, Dr Harper? " she snapped, hating feeling like a patient, feeling helpless.

" Exactly what you just said," he shrugged, " take your shirt off. "

" Beg your pardon? " she asked.

" Come on! " Owen groaned, " I don't care if you've got this whole "im invincible thing, im fine" going on. I need to see that wound. "

Once they'd gotten in touch with Jack and Ianto over the comms, Jack was there within moments, having run to join them from the other side of the building.

" Lily," he gasped as he threw himself to his knees on the ground beside her, " Lily! Are you alright? "

" It's a bit of bleeding," she told him, as she finished unbuttoning her shirt, " weevil decided to take a few lumps out of me, but it's all worked out, we've got it. I'm going to be fine. Nothing serious, is it, Owen? "

Owen had to admire her attitude, even if she was so strong headed and determined that he wanted to strangle her sometimes, " Lily is going to be fine," he told Jack, " she's got some pretty deep cuts, but it's nothing I can't sort out easily enough. Here, Jack, you keep pressing down on her arm, with the coat - it's all I've got to stem the bleeding so far. "

" You're going to ruin my coat," Lily sighed dramatically.

" It was ruined anyway," Owen countered, " when the weevil took a few lumps out of it. Ah, Ianto! Here, open it up, find me some scissors. "

Jack took hold of Lily's hand with his free hand and he squeezed it tightly, " You're ok, you're ok," he said, as Owen cut a line up her shirt, to gain acess to the wound on her side.

" I know," she sighed, well aware that Jack liked to fuss over her to the point of driving her crazy, " _I _told _you _that. "

She groaned in pain as Owen pulled the shirt away from her wound, parts of it sticking to her. She squeezed Jack's hand hard, and he rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand soothingly, whilst keeping her ruined coat pressed hard against her arm in an attempt to stem the bleeding.

" Ok darlin'," Owen nodded, " the arm's worse than the side. Ianto, bandages or something? "

Lily lie back quietly, as much as it pained her to do so, while Owen wrapped a makeshift bandage around her arm and tied it tightly. She held Jack's hand tightly and he didn't complain. Once Owen had also managed to stop the bleeding on her side for now, he nodded with satisfaction.

" Should hold until we get back to the hub," Owen said, " but they're not the best bandages in the world, so I'll dress you properly when we get back. "

" Thank you," Lily smiled weakly, " silly really isn't it, getting clawed by a weevil? " When no-one answered she looked at the three of them and asked, " Isn't someone going to help me up? "

Jack got to his feet and leaned down to carefully wrap his arms around her, helping her to her feet. He then wrapped her coat around her, given that was was left wearing only her bra on her top half. She winced in pain and held onto Jack for a few moments.

" You ok, baby? " he asked, gently wrapping his arm around her waist and allowing her to lean against him carefully.

" Fine," she replied, " You know me - I'm always ok. "

Jack frowned, " Yeah, well I'm not so sure. I'm worried about you even if you're not worried about yourself. Let's get you back. "

She got into the back of the SUV with Owen and he kept an eye on her for the entire journey. When they got back to the hub, he forced her to sit on the bed in the medical bay, despite all her protests that she was fine.

Owen cleaned up her wounds whilst Jack stayed at her side, holding her hand despite the many times she told him she was fine. He cleaned the wounds up, treated them, and after a while was able to bandage them up.

When he'd finished, he waved a finger at her jokingly, " Now, I want you to take it easy. And I'll have you know that you are certainly a difficult patient with all your insisting that your fine, and not wanting to be treated. Watch what you're doing for a few days, yeah? "

" I'll make sure of it," Jack said firmly, reaching for Lily's coat and wrapping it around her to cover her up again.

Owen nodded, " Right, well, you're all finished. "

" Thank you," Lily said gratefully to which Owen nodded, " Anytime, of course. "

Lily looked up at Jack, " Better get that report finished, haven't I? " she said, shuffling to the ede of the bed and easing herself off until she was standing.

" You're taking it easy," Jack told her, his tone full of authority.

" Yes, and I'm perfectly capable of sitting behind a desk and doing a bit of writing," she replied, wincing a little as she started up the stairs to the rest of the hub.

" I wish you weren't so damned determined," Jack groaned as he started following her up the stairs, his hand resting on her back gently.

He guided her to her desk, where she eased herself into her desk chair and picked up her pen. Jack smiled and leaned down to press a kiss against her forehead,

" Let me make you a drink," he said softly, before leaving her and disappearing into the kitchen.

She smiled in the direction he'd just walked off in. She might not like anyone to fuss over her much or to feel like she was helpless, but she had to admit she loved that Jack was always fussing over her. She loved that he was protective and that he absolutely doted on her. She'd never felt so lucky.

In the kitchen, Ianto was helping himself to something to eat when Jack walked in.

" Lily alright? "

" She'll be fine," Jack said, " never met a woman as strong in my very long life. I'm just making her a drink now. "

" I could do it if you want," Ianto offered, as Owen walked into the room and immediately started raiding the fridge.

Jack smiled, " That's alright," he said, " I'll do it. " What he didn't add was that he wanted to take care of his wife, love her, fuss over her, just do anything he could, and he'd start by making a cup of coffee for her.

" So, what's the plan for the anniversary? " Owen asked, slamming the fridge door after himself.

Jack grinned, " That's between me and my wife," he replied.

" Oh come on," Owen said, " the girls are dying to know, but it seems that your wife doesn't know anything to tell them. Must admit it's made me a little curious. If only so I can gloat to Tosh that I know and she doesn't. "

Jack chuckled as he located Lily's favourite mug, " I'm pulling out all the stops. There's going to be a card, presents, flowers, a full day of spoiling my missus, dinner, everything. "

At the end of the day, Lily was quite glad to be going home. The weevil attack had taken it out of her for the day, and when she and Jack walked through the front door that evening, Jack was holding her hand firmly, and closed and locked the door with his free hand.

" Now," he said, turning his his wife, " how d'you feel? "

" Not too bad," she said, " bit tired. Well, a lot tired. Bit achy. Just worn out really. "

Jack nodded and he helped her out of her coat, throwing it over the bannister, though they both knew it needed to go in the bin. She'd thrown on one of Jack's spare shirts that happened to be lying around the office, after her own shirt had been wrecked, and it was only short sleeved.

Jack reached out and rested his hands on her waist as he looked at her carefully. He observed the tightly wrapped bandages on her arm and nodded in satisfaction that it wasn't bleeding through. It was ok he thought with relief.

" Right," he sighed after a few moments, " I want you to get yourself up to that bedroom, lay down and get some rest. You're going to put your feet up and let me look after you. "

" I'm - "

" Fine," he finished for her, " I know, but why does that mean I can't show you a bit of tender love and care? "

She gave in and nodded and he grinned, " Good girl. I'll be up in a couple of minutes. "

It was already late and they'd eaten at the hub and were both ready to relax for the night. Lily went upstairs and very carefully got ready for bed, gently pulling on the shirt she wore for bed and nothing else.

She was sitting on the edge of the bed when Jack came into the room having locked up the house and set the alarms. He smiled at her warmly and undressed, and once he had, he laid down ontop of the bedcovers and reached out for her.

" Come on baby," he said.

She very carefully eased herself across the bed, wincing in pain as she moved, until she'd managed to find a comfortable position to lie down in.

She curled herself into a ball, avoiding lying ontop of any of her injuries, and stretched her good arm out, resting her head against Jack's bare chest.

" You comfy? " he asked her, stroking her hair, " is everything alright? "

" I'm fine," she told him, " honestly, I promise. "

He chuckled, kissing the top of her head, " I ... I was really worried about you today, you know. When I walked into that room and saw you full of blood - I just immediately thought the worst. Sometimes I worry about you more than you'll ever know. "

" You think I don't worry about you too? " she replied, " and you don't have to worry about me all the time. I'm strong Jack, and you know that. "

" Yeah," he said, " but it's just something you do about those you care for isn't it? Worrying, I mean. And then caring for afterwards. I'll never stop worrying about you, darling wife. "

" I suppose having you fussing over me isn't so bad," she said. " I mean, doting on me. It's kind of ... " she broke off and then smiled softly looking up at him, " it's lovely. _You're _lovely. "

" It's all in the job description of husband," shrugged Jack, leaning down and pressing his lips to hers. She closed her eyes and kissed back, feeling all of his love and affection, and when they broke apart, she cuddled up to him again, wrapping her good arm around his body.

" I was thinking," Jack said, " maybe I could put some mistletoe above the bed? "

She giggled and slowly looked up at him again, " Yeah, maybe. But for now, we'll have to make do without. "

" Hey, let's just imagine that there's some mistletoe right there, above your head," Jack said, touching her cheek with one hand and drawing her in for another kiss, which she was only too willing to share.


	6. Anniversary

**Disclaimer: I own othing**

**Author's Note: Just a chapter of pure fluff as they celebrate their anniversary. This much fluff was unplanned but I seemed to be very good at just reeling it off without planning it.**

Chapter Six

Lily woke up on her first wedding anniversary and rolled over to find that she was the only person in bed. She frowned slightly, having anticipated rolling straight into Jack's warm body for a cuddle, and sat up slowly.

The bedroom door was open, and after a few moments she realised she could hear movement downstairs.

" Jack? "

His voice drifted upstairs as he replied, " Stay in bed, you'll ruin it! "

" Ruin what? " she shouted back, her curiousity aroused, as her feet touched the floor and she climbed out of the bed.

" Just stay in bed! " he replied, his tone full of authority, though he was laughing.

Lily rarely appreciated being told what to do but the tone in her husband's voice sounded playful and she guessed that he had something planned.

Jack always _did _have something planned, but this being their anniversary and Jack deep down being a big softy when it came to his wife, she knew he'd have something planned.

She took advantage of Jack's absence to open her wardrobe and retrieve the presents and the card she'd bought him for the anniversary. She smiled in satisfaction at the thought of what she'd got for him and put them down on the little table beside his bed, before getting back into bed and pulling the duvet over her.

She looked down at her wedding and engagement rings and smiled happily, before propping up all the pillows and leaning back against them comortably. Her injuries from almost two weeks ago had healed quite well so far, and though she still had to wear a bandage around her left arm and dressing on her side, she was otherwise fine.

A few minutes later, she heard movement on the staircase, the stairs creaking, and she grinned at the thought of spending a whole day with Jack. Just recently, every time there was a weekend, the rift decided to act up, despite being quiet during the weeks.

She smiled when Jack appeared at the bedroom door. He was wearing only his boxer shorts, and was carrying a long wooden tray in both of his hands.

He stopped in the doorway, and he smiled at the sight of her. " You look beautiful, Mrs Harkness," he told her, the smile on his face soft and loving, as opposed to his usual rougish grin.

" Beautiful? " she laughed, her heart melting as she realised what he'd done for her, looking at the tray, " I'm in bed, wearing only a shirt, no make up, hair all messed up. "

" I know," he replied, " and you look beautiful. I brought you breakfast in bed. "

" Oh Jack," she smiled happily as he walked into the bedroom properly and held out the tray to her as she sat up straight, her legs straight out, " this is ... this is really sweet. It's not like you to cook. "

" Special occasion," he replied, slowly putting the tray down on her lap.

Lily smiled as she looked down at the tray. It was a plate piled high with bacon, sausages, a pool of tinned tomatoes and a couple of fried eggs, and beside it was a smaller plate, several slices of buttered toast high. A cup of coffee sat beside it, and a card was tucked under the plate.

Once he'd put the tray down, he leaned over to her, and she laid her hand on his cheek as she pulled him down to her for a kiss. When their lips met, she closed her eyes and revelled in the kiss, though it was short and sweet.

" Happy anniversary," Lily sighed happily when they broke apart, her hand still on his face as he leaned over her, and her thumb lightly stroking his face.

" Happy anniversary Mrs Harkness," Jack replied, leaning back in and planting a shorter kiss on her lips, before pulling himself back up to full height.

" Thank you, Jack," Lily said as she looked down at the tray, " this must have taken a lot of effort. I can't believe you managed to stay out of bed for so long without me noticing. "

He smiled and turned towards the wardrobe, rooting around in it, and a smirk crossed Lily's face as she looked at her husband's body, in only his boxer shorts.

She couldn't help but admire the view, and as she picked up her coffee she said, " I hope you were careful when you were cooking, wearing just your boxers. Dangerous, you know. "

" Oh baby, I was fine," he said, turning back around to face her and putting a few wrapped up objects down on the bed. " Don't touch anything - well, except your breakfast. Back in a minute. "

She smiled as she watched him go, and put her coffee down on the bedside table, before picking up a slice of toast. She nibbled on the toast and when Jack returned a couple of minutes later, he was carrying a small pot.

" What've you got there? " she asked him.

He grinned proudly, " Just a little something. Don't worry, it's not your main present, but it's something. "

He put it on her bedside table as she was occupied with the tray and she looked at it to see there were several lovely little purple flowers inside the pot.

Jack continued, " You've been saying for ages you want something nice for the living room, and I did a little research. Pansies are apparently the flower of the first wedding anniversary. "

Lily smiled, " That's cute," she said, " they look lovely. You're right, they will look nice on the coffee table. Bring a bit of colour into the room, or something. Thank you. "

He chuckled and got into the bed beside her and she leaned over as best she could to plant a kiss on his cheek. He smiled, " Eat your breakfast, since it took me so long to make it, then you can have your presents. "

She stuck her tounge out at him as she picked up the knife and fork, " It probably took you so long to make because you made so much. How am I ever going to eat all this? "

Jack shrugged, helping himself to the toast, " I must admit I thought I could help you with it. "

" Think you're going to have to," she nodded, putting a piece of bacon on the fork and holding the fork out to him.

They ate the breakfast together, and with Jack's help, Lily had finished off the breakfast. She put her knife and fork down when she'd eaten the last sausage and reached for her mug, draining the last of her coffee.

Finished with her breakfast, Lily moved the tray to the end of the bed, thinking about how lucky she was to have Jack as her husband.

She couldn't believe it was a year since they'd gotten married, and with the breakfast tray safely out of the way, she suddenly moved closer to him and took hold of his face in both of her hands, pressing her lips to his.

He was taken by surprise but overcame this pretty quickly to wrap an arm around her waist and pull her body flush against his. His kisses were heated and she felt herself melting against him as their lips worked together. He kissed her passionately and when their long kiss ended, Lily stroked his cheek gently,

" God, I love you," she sighed.

" I love you too," he chuckled, his arm around her waist relaxing slightly, " was that one of my presents? "

" If you like," Lily shrugged, " more later though. "

Jack pouted and she giggled at him. A grown man had no right to be that cute, she thought, especially one of Jack's age. Jack laughed too and he reached for the card, " Here, open your card. "

She couldn't help but smile at his immense enthusiasm for everything regarding the two of them as he thrust the pink envelope into her hands. She took it from him and smiled at Jack's slanted handwriting on the front, which read, " My wife. "

She ripped the envelope open and the card inside was one of those cute ones with teddy bears on the front. A little grey teddy bear - she couldn't remember what the bear was called ... Scruffy Teddy, or something, she thought. No, Tatty Teddy, wasn't it?

It read "Happy Anniversary" and she opened it up to see that it was filled with Jack's handwriting from the top of the card to the very bottom and she laughed at how much he'd written.

" Go on, read it," Jack said.

She smiled and obediently looked down at the card. It started with, " _Lily, happy first wedding anniversary. I can't believe that we've been married one year - in some ways time seems to have flown, but in others, I feel like we've been together forever. You are the most perfect woman I have ever known, and I am extremely lucky to have you in my life. _"

She felt her eyes starting to fill up with tears as she read the card. The card went on to describe all the ways that Jack loved her, and she couldn't believe that he'd sat down and taken the time to write all this out.

When she got to the end of the card, she allowed a happy tear to fall down her cheek as she read the last few lines, " _I love you more than I have ever loved or will ever love, and you mean more to me than I could ever describe. Although as I read this card I realise I've tried pretty hard to describe exactly that. It's all got a bit soppy now, and it's nothing you didn't already know, or should already know anyway. Yours forever, love Jack. "_

When Lily finished reading she looked up at Jack and he smiled apologetically, " I know it got a bit soppy, but I just wanted to tell you what you mean to me. To have it written down, you know, so you could look back at it one day or something. "

" You are _beyond _sweet," she smiled when he reached out to wipe her tear away and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

" Hey, hey, no tears," Jack told her.

" But they're _happy _tears," she promised him, to which he chuckled. As she reached down the side of the bed and picked up Jack's card, Lily looked at her husband, " Are we odd, do you think? I mean, is it normal to feel _this _happy? To feel _this _in love? "

" Of course it is," Jack replied, throwing her a little wink, as he took the card from her, " or at least, it is when you're married to someone as fantastic as me. "

" Very high opinion of yourself," Lily giggled as she watched him rip the envelope open.

" Am I wrong? " he asked, looking her in the eye as he pulled the card out of the envelope.

" No," Lily replied as her lips twitched into a smile, " and you're ridiculously cocky too. "

" I know," he shrugged, opening the card to see that she'd also written quite a lot inside. He leant back against the pillows as he read it. She hadn't written quite as much as he had, but he smiled as he read the first few lines.

" _Happy anniversary Jack. The first of many many more to come, all of which I hope to spend with you, as happy as I am right at this very moment. "_

Her message went on to tell him she loved him and she was grateful for everything he'd given her and everything he'd done for her. That she wanted to be with him forever, and she knew they would be together forever.

When he got to the end, he grinned as he read the end of it "_On our wedding day, where we wrote our own vows, you made many promises and among those was the promise to be my protector, my best friend and my eternally devoted lover. You have done all of these, and I know will continue to do so. You make me proud to be Mrs Harkness, kitten. Love forever, your Lily. "_

Jack grinned and leaned over to kiss her briefly, " You say I'm sweet? " he asked her, " this is lovely. This ... christ, you know what to say to make a man feel loved. "

She smiled, " I know. So is it present time yet? "

He chuckled, " Typical woman. You can have yours first then. "

He reached behind him and took hold of a small package. He handed it to her and grinned, " Go on then, open it. It's not the main present. "

It was a flat little package and she eagerly ripped the paper off. Her second present after the pansy, she thought, and she ripped the paper off to find a CD. It was an ABBA CD she noted with amusement, and when she looked at it more closely, she realised it was a live CD, from a concert in Stockholm, 1979.

She then realised that she'd been at that concert.

" Do you remember? " Jack asked.

Lily grinned as she looked at the CD, " Of course I do. I can't believe you thought of that. It's so ... thoughtful. We were secretly dating then, weren't we? Rose had nagged Dad to go see Abba, and the pair of them wanted seats but we wanted to stand, so we managed to get away from them, and we spent the whole night dancing. "

Jack nodded, " It was the first time I called you Baby, you know, that night. You were wearing an orange minidress, flowers all over it. "

She nodded, " And you had black trousers and a bright pink open necked shirt. And I laughed at you, and you said "Got to fit in with the crowd, baby." "

" And that night was something else too," Jack said, " another first, since that seems to be the theme today. "

Lily nodded, a faint blush crossing her cheeks, " First time we made love, wasn't it? You kissed me goodnight outside my bedroom, and I grabbed your hand, pulled you towards my room and invited you in. "

Jack grinned and threw his arms around her shoulder, pulling her close to him as he handed her another present. She smiled and leaned against him happily as she started unwrapping the next. It felt like a bottle, and she unwrapped it to find a large bottle with a piece of paper wrapped around it, and Jack's handwriting on it, reading "My Fair Lady."

" Jack," she grinned as she looked at the bottle " you ... you made this? "

He nodded proudly, " Just something I was thinking about the other day. Thought I'd make you some up. Mixed it while you and Tosh went out for a drink. Took advantage of your absence. First drink I ever bought you, to continue with the theme. "

Lily nodded, leaning against him happily, " Rose and I nagged Dad to go shopping, and he took us. It was before you and me had gotten together and we were being incredibly flirty. Dad and Rose went off to some little cafe and I was about to agree to go with them, until you said we were off to a bar. "

Jack chuckled, " I bought you a drink, we sat down, and I told you some guy was checking you out. You told me you were already talking to a handsome man, gave my ego a right boost. But then we moved on from regular flirting and I told you were beautiful. You didn't believe me, and we were joking around, and you still wouldn't believe me. Then I told you that you were completely beautiful. First time I called you beautiful that day. "

Lily nodded, " First time I realised there was more to you than some old flirt. And the first time

I started to consider that I could have feelings for you. Thank you, these are seriously well thought out presents. "

Jack shrugged, " I wanted to remind you of a few things. So, first wedding anniverary, first time we made love, first time you got your favourite pet name, first time I bought you a drink, first time I started to tell you what I thought of you. Anyway, now for the best present. "

He reached behind him, picked up a box, and handed it to her.

She smiled as she felt it. It felt like a little box and she ripped the paper off and saw she was left holding a blue box. She opened it up and gasped at what she saw.

Sitting in the box was a beautiful, elegant looking necklace. It looked delicate and she slowly reached out to touch it. It was gold, with pearls in it, the gold joining up the pearls and she realised it must have been an expensive gift, not to mention the time he must have spent choosing it.

" It's ... Jack, it's stunning," she said, looking up at him.

He shrugged, " Can't go wrong with jewellerey. Pearls are apparently the gemstone of the 1st anniversary, but a full pearl necklace didn't seem like your thing, and then I saw this. Thought it'd be just the thing. "

She slowly closed the box, putting it on her bedside table, and then pulled him towards her for a kiss. " Thank you," she said as they pulled apart, " thank you for everything. "

" More than welcome, baby," Jack replied.

Lily grinned as they kissed again, and this time when they broke apart, she leaned over the side of the bed and picked up Jack's two presents. " You've just got two," she told him apologetically, " but they're really good ones, I promise. "

" I know you wouldn't give me anything less," Jack said as he took one present from her, and she cuddled up to him again, watching him open it.

" You're not the only one who's been researching wedding anniversaries, you know," Lily told her husband, " the traditional wedding gift is paper, and the modern gift is clocks, so that's where your presents came from. "

Jack ripped away the wrapping paper and he looked down. He was left with a book and as he fingers passed across the cover, he read the words "Happy Anniversary."

The expression on his face was one of surprise and complete love as he opened up the first page to see a picture of himself and Lily on their wedding day. It was a picture clearly taken when they weren't looking at the camera, but instead they were looking at each other, in their first dance.

Jack smiled softly as he turned the page. There was another picture, this one of the pair of them on their honeymoon, sipping cocktails on a beach. Jack flipped through the whole scrapbook - some of these pictures were pictures he hadn't seen in a long time, and some of them he hadn't seen at all.

It was a very thick scrapbook, each page with a different picture and each picture captioned in her large loopy handwriting. She'd also illustrated the empty spaces with stars and hearts, and Jack thought it was a work of art.

He closed it slowly and looked at her, " I can't believe you went to all that effort. It must have taken forever. " he laughed, " how did you manage to do it without me noticing? "

She grinned, " I've been taking advantage of all that paperwork you've had to do recently. You've been spending a lot of time in the office. And when you had to leave the office, I managed to hide it under all my own paperwork. "

Jack suddenly pressed a very long kiss to her lips. She responded eagerly, but before the kiss could get too heated, she pulled away, her hands on his chest, " Your other present," she told him, reaching for it and handing it to him.

He took the box, unwrapped it and slowly took the lid off it.

Lily revelled in the look on his face as he discovered a wristwatch inside the box. He slowly lifted it up to look at it and his eyes widened.

It was an antique looking watch, and Jack knew it must be very old. It must have been very difficult for her to find, and Jack knew that it would have been ridiculously expensive. And he loved it.

" Lily, this is ... both of your presents are wonderful," he told her, " the scrapbook, I can put on my desk and look at whenever I'm fed up of work, and the watch - it's the nicest looking watch I've ever seen. And it's so old ... it's perfect. "

" You haven't seen the best bit," she insisted, turning the watch over in his hand so he could read the engraving.

He beamed as he read it, " _Jack. Love, forever. Lily. 11/12/2009." _Looking back up at her he nodded, " Baby, this is perfect. Must have cost you a small fortune though. "

She shrugged, " Who else am I going to spend my money on? Worth every penny. "

He kissed her again, and this time when they broke apart, Lily reached out to run her hand through his hair, " So, what's the plan for the rest of the day, lover? "

" Very glad you asked," Jack said, wrapping both arms around her, " first, we're going to curl up on the sofa because I've bought lots of popcorn and made sure we've got all your favourite DVDs in. _Then_, we could put your new CD on, have a drink and dance just like we did that night in Stockholm. Or better yet, that night we met in the Blitz. _Then _you're going to put on that gorgeous new dress of yours, and I'm taking you out to the most expensive restaurant I can find. _Then _we're going to come home for dessert. _All night _dessert. "

" Sounds like a very good plan to me," Lily said, shifting her body. She drew herself up a little and then swung her leg over his body until she was straddling him.

He grinned and leaned in for a kiss, but his lips stopped inches from hers, allowing him to whisper, " I'm so grateful for you. "

Lily sighed as he wrapped his arms around her again and her own hands moved to his chest and face, " Yeah, well me too, because you, Captain Jack Harkness, are the best thing that ever happened to me. "

Jack nodded, pulling her closer, " Good. Now, how about we sample a bit of _dessert _right _now _before we move on to the rest of the celebrations? "

She nodded as he moved his mouth down to kiss her neck, his breath warm against her skin, " Absolutely. " She sighed in contentment, " happy anniversary indeed. "

**Author's Note: I don't expect anyone to remember that far back, but in the first of my Lily stories, the Adventures of the Doctor's Daughter, there was a chapter where Lily, Jack, Rose and the Doctor went to an Abba concert while Jack and Lily were secretly dating. There was also a chapter when they went to some kind of space-shopping centre and Jack and Lily went off by themselves to a bar, before they got together.**


	7. Blowfish

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter Seven

Jack Harkness stood in the living room that morning, facing the christmas tree, which he couldn't help but admire. It was the 2nd week of December, and just a day after their anniverary, he and Lily had decorated the whole house ready for Christmas.

If anybody had asked, Jack would have had to say it was all Lily's idea - after all, he had a reputation to uphold - but he knew very well that Christmas brought out his inner child, and in the privacy of his own home, he didn't mind showing it.

He glanced at the very expensive and very handsome wristwatch his wife had just bought him for the anniversary. They were getting ready to go to work, and he was waiting for her.

He heard her footsteps on the staircase moments later and expected her to pass the living room for the front door. He was about to turn back to the doorway when he felt warm and familiar arms thrown around his waist from behind.

He chuckled to himself as he felt her body pressed against his from behind, but he couldn't help but think she ought to be taller for this to work more comfortably.

Without turning around, he said, " Good morning, Mrs Harkness. "

" Morning Captain," she said, sounding very happy, " aren't you going to turn around and give your wife a kiss? "

Jack turned his head to the side and Lily stood on her toes, her chin trying to rest on his shoulder. He raised one eyebrow at her, " The wife's here? Oh dear, I was hoping to steal a few moments with this gorgeous little redhead. "

Lily giggled, " You're so silly. "

He gave a little murmur of agreement and turned around slowly to face her. He reached out to cup one cheek with his hand and leaned in to press a kiss to her lips. When they broke apart, Lily loosened her arms around him, and he took hold of her hand.

" I suppose we should go to work, baby," he sighed.

" Suppose we should," she agreed, as they moved towards the hallway. She'd only just stepped over the threshold into the hallway when Jack pulled her back towards him.

He looked up, " You've got to obey the rules," he said.

She followed his line of vision to the ceiling and rolled her eyes, though she was amused when she saw the little sprig of mistletoe, " I thought you'd taken that down, after Owen, the other day. "

Jack smirked a little at the reminder. Tosh and Owen had been around for a few drinks a few evenings ago, after Lily and Tosh's want for some girl time had been hi-jacked by both Jack and Owen.

Jack's eagerness to hang mistletoe everywhere in the house had backfired when he and Owen both stood in the doorway of the living room, and Jack had planted a kiss straight on Owen's lips, much to Owen's disgust, Lily's great amusement and Tosh's confusion.

Looking at his wife currently, Jack shrugged, " I _did _take it down, but then I thought better of it and put it back up. It was too much fun _not _to put it back up. "

Lily rolled her eyes, " I should have known. "

Jack silenced her by leaning down and claiming a kiss and Lily opened her mouth to him. Their kiss because more passionate, as their kisses usually did, and it was just etting heated when Lily slowly broke away.

" Sorry kitten," she said, as Jack pouted, " we really have to get going. "

Jack sighed, " I hope the people of Cardiff know how much I give up to keep them safe every day. "

Lily shook her head at him, " Come on," she said, snatching her coat up off the coat rack before picking up the keys to the SUV and throwing them at him. He caught them easily and followed her out of the house.

As soon as they got into work, the phone started to ring, and Jack groaned as he started towards his office. Lily went to sit at her desk, and had only just sat down when the door rolled open again and Ianto strode in.

" Morning," Ianto said, walking past her desk and into the kitchen.

" Morning sweetie," Lily smiled as she turned on her computer, " oh hey, Jack's put that mistletoe up again over his office door, so watch what you're doing if you have to go in there. "

Ianto nodded, " Thanks for the warning. "

Moments later, the office door opened and Jack stood there, " Sighting of a suspicious looking character. Police have passed it staight onto us. I'm thinking blowfish. Get your coat. "

" Barely had chance to take it off," Lily replied, standing up.

She snatched her coat off the back of her chair and Ianto appeared from the kitchen, " Want me to come? "

Jack shook his head, " I think we'll be alright, the two of us. I'll be in touch if we need back up though. "

" Jack," Lily frowned, " you know they've got a habit of stealing sports cars. Maybe we should take back up. "

" We'll be fine," Jack shrugged, " Ianto, when Tosh comes in, see if she can get a trace on it for us. Come on Lily, I want to get this sorted fast, you know what they're like. "

" Yes boss," she replied with a smile, pulling her coat on and starting to button it up.

As she and Jack were leaving the hub, Gwen was on her way in.

" Got a case already? " she asked, as she waddled towards the door as best she could, given the size of her bump.

" Blowfish we think," Jack said.

" Anything I can do to help? " Gwen offered, to which Jack shook his head.

" Absolutely not," he said firmly, " at 36 weeks pregnant, the only thing I want you to do, is go in there, sit down and put your feet up. I told you, you shouldn't even still be around, given all the stress of this job. "

" Jack," Gwen sighed, shaking her head, " we've been through this time and time again. I'm leaving soon, giving all this up. We've got a little cottage on the beach, all out of the way, the quiet life. So I'm having my last few weeks here, while I can. "

They stared each other out, before Jack swallowed and nodded, " Fine. You're here, but stay behind your desk. Put up your feet. "

" There's no need to be so over-bearing," Gwen sighed, rolling her eyes

" It's not over-bearing, it's caring for my staff," Jack replied, " and there's every need. We won't be long. "

When Jack and Lily started off towards the SUV, Lily looked up at her husband, well aware that he didn't want Gwen to leave. As she looked at him, she saw the expression on his face was one of sadness and she reached out to take his hand.

" It's ok, you know," she said, " I know you're going to miss her, but it's going to be ok. "

" I can't imagine her not being around," Jack told her, " it'll be weird when she's gone. "

" We'll adjust," Lily said, " I agree it's a shame to lose someone who's such a good worker, but she and Rhy are doing what they think is best for their baby. After the 456, and getting hunted down by the government, I can't blame them for wanting to go and live in seclusion with their child. We can't blame them for doing what they think is best for their baby. "

" I know we can't blame them," Jack said, " they're ... they're keeping the baby safe. "

" Gwen's going to miss you, you know," Lily told him, " I know you feel sad she's leaving, but it's not personal. She really will miss you. "

Jack nodded silently, and when they got outside, he turned back to his wife. " Thank you," he said, leaning down and pressing a kiss to her forehead.

" Haven't done anything," she replied.

" Well, you know," shrugged Jack, tucking some of her hair behind her ear, " trying to make me feel better. I was thinking we could buy her something nice for the baby. Well, for the baby and because she's going away. "

Lily smiled, " That's a nice idea. Start thinking and I'll start thinking too. Now come on. Blowfish. "

It took them a long time to trackdown the blowfish, and when they had, they were forced to chase it along the main roads at brake-neck speed.

" God knows what the humans will think," Jack called out over the noise of the beeping horns, as he took control of the roads.

Lily shook her head, " Humans are pretty oblivious, they'll think we're idiots with a big car, chasing idiots in fancy dress. "

" Probably. "

" I _told _you we should have had back up," Lily scolded him, " there's _two _of them, _and _they've got a car. "

" It's going to be fine," Jack said, " I reckon they're going to try and give us the slip. I reckon they'll turn left ahead, try going down the backroads. Besides, Owen and Ianto are heading out in Ianto's car. We'll have back up soon. "

Lily watched ahead as the car the blowfish were driving suddenly took a left turn and Jack turned the SUV left so sharply that she thought it would tip over. Moments later, a sunroof opened on the car and one of the blowfish appeared from the top of it, shooting a gun at them.

Jack barked orders over the comms to Owen and Ianto, telling them where they were heading, and Lily heard from what they said, that they were nearby.

Lily pulled out her stungun and hoped she could stop them before they crashed ito someone and did some serious damage. She wound down her window and leaned out of it, training her gun on the blowfish that was currently trying to shoot at she and Jack.

" Be careful! " she heard Jack bellow from inside the SUV.

She laughed as she took her first shot and narrowly missed, " I'm no damsel in distress, Jack. "

His answer sounded suspiciously like "You're telling me" but she couldn't be sure and she took another shot, this one hitting the blowfish squarely in the chest and stunning it. It slumped backwards into the car and she quickly sat back down in the car.

" There," she said, putting her stun gun in her lap, " at least there's nothing shooting at us now. "

They took another sharp turn, and this time, Lily saw Ianto's car coming towards them and was relieved to see their back up. Owen - or at least, she assumed Owen would be driving, given the speed it was going at - suddenly pulled across sharply, and forced the blowfish car to stop.

Jack ground the SUV to a quick halt, and by the time Lily got out of it, the blowfish that wasn't stunned was trying to escape, only for Ianto to get a shot on it, and sent it sprawling to the ground.

Owen looked at Lily first, seeing Jack and Lily for the first time that day,

" Starting trouble early today, eh spacegirl? "

" Looks like it," she nodded, walking over to the blowfish and nudging it with her foot, satisfying herself that it was out cold. " Nice work, boys," she said, admiring Ianto's well aimed shot on the blowfish, and Owen's good parking to block him.

" What about me? " Jack asked, hands on his hips.

She rolled her eyes, " Yes, you too. Nice work Jack. "

He grinned, satisfied, " Thank you. Owen, Ianto get these bodies back into the back of the SUV. Get them disposed of in the usual way. " He touched his comms, " Toshiko, I need you to find out who a stolen car belongs to, registration S208 FWW. "

When Toshiko have given him a name and an address, and Owen and Ianto had gotten the bodies of the blowfish into the SUV - and thankfully they were down a back street where no-one could see anything that was going on - jack looked around at them all.

" Ok," he said, " Ianto, take your car back to the hub, dispose of the blowfish when you get there. Owen, take the SUV. I'll get this car back to its owner, maybe administer retcon if neccesary. Lily .. actually, you go with Owen. It'll take two of you with the blowfish in the back, in case they wake up. "

" Recieved and understood," Ianto nodded, taking his car keys from Owen's hand.

" See you soon," Lily said, taking the SUV keys from Jack and dangling them teasingly at Owen, " I'm driving. "

" Women drivers," Owen grumbled as he started towards the SUV.

Lily stuck her tongue out at his back, " Alien drivers. We're _much _worse. "

As she started walking towards the SUV, Jack reached out and took hold of her arm. He pressed his lips to her forehead lightly and brushed some of her hair away from her face, " I'll be back soon, baby. "

She drove back to the hub, and she and Owen only just beat Ianto back. The three of them had only just walked through the doors of the hub when Tosh called out, " Two missed calls, Lily. From Martha Jones. Or Martha Smith, should I say? "

Lily grinned and hurried to her desk, snatching up the phone.

" Brilliant," she said, " I tried ringing her a few times over the last few days but she's always so busy. She must have finally found a bit of spare time to get in touch with her old friend. "

Lily sat down in her desk chair and dialled the number.

" Hello? "

Lily grinned at the sound of Martha's voice, " Mrs Smith, how nice to finally get in touch with you. "

On the other end of the phone, she heard the very familiar laugh, " Mrs Harkness, you know how busy I get. Anyway, you're usually _twice _as bad as I am. "

" Well, you've got me there," Lily grinned, leaning back in her desk chair, " so, how are you? How's married life? "

" I'm good," Martha replied, sounding very happy, " it's brilliant, isn't it? Why didn't you ever _tell _me how great being married was? "

Lily laughed, " I didn't think I needed to _tell _anyone how happy Jack and I are. "

" How is Jack? " Martha asked.

Lily smirked, " You know Jack, he's always alright. Hub's all rebuilt, we've got ourselves a house. Life is good. And we're kind of living more like humans than ever before - can you imagine me with a house? "

" What must your dad think, eh? " Martha laughed.

" Oh, he's as proud of me as he ever is. He was here the other week - fascinated by the house," Lily sighed happily, " anyway, how are you fixed for Christmas? "

" Oh, we were planning a quiet one," Martha said, " just me and Mickey, you know? We've both managed to wrangle over a week off. "

Lily nodded, taking it into consideration, " D'you fancy coming to ours for New Years? We were thinking maybe you could come over a few days after christmas, stay until after the New Year. Jack's dying to show off the house, and we were going to have everyone over on New Years eve. "

" We'd love to come over," Martha replied instantly, " I'll check with Mickey, but he won't be getting much of a say. We're like a team, aren't we? Me, you and Jack. End of the world survivors. And Mickey would love to come and see Torchwood I think. "

" Brilliant," Lily said, " let's just hope he and Jack can get along, eh? "

" Oh they're bound to fall out a couple of times" Martha said in an offhand manner, " but don't worrry about them. We'd love to come over. Now, we're spending Christmas day alone, so I promised boxing day to my parents, so we could come over on the 27th? "

" That'd be great," Lily said, " I'll book the train for you. Well, I might have to ask Ianto to, still haven't gotten the hang of paying for stuff on the internet ... all those numbers on my card, you know? "

Martha laughed and replied, " So, how's your christmas shopping going? "

Lily grinned, " I've got almost everything now - it's not like I've got many people to buy for. Oh, I feel so domesticated ... so _human. _I'm even going to try wrapping stuff later on. Last year I was really lazy and put them in fancy looking bags. "

Martha giggled, " Mrs Harkness, don't tell me you can organise a team to fight aliens, but you can't use a roll of wrapping paper? "

" Well in my defence, there's not much call for wrapping paper in outer space," Lily said indignantly, though she couldn't stop smiling, " And people are only going to rip it off anyway. "

" Very insightful," Martha laughed, though the rest of her words were drowned out by a beeping on the line, " sorry Lily, other line. Hold on a sec. "

Lily waited patiently, fiddling with the phone cord, and a few moments later, Martha's voice sounded down the line again, " Lily? I'm really sorry, it's a work thing, and it's my boss - can't really wait. "

" Don't worry about it," Lily sighed, " I know how it is ... big job to do. Give us a ring next time you've got a bit of free time, and you've spoken to Mickey. "

Martha hummed a response, " Will do, thanks for the invitation, Lily. Give my love to the old flirt. "

" Absolutely, Martha. See you soon. "

When Lily had hung up, she smiled in satisfaction but then looked over at Tosh, who was busying typing something up. Owen walked up the steps from the medical bay with a report in his hand, and Ianto was setting a coffee down on Gwen's desk.

" Um, guys? " she asked.

They all looked at her, and she said, " I've told you that we want you to come over for New Years, haven't I? "

They all looked blank, and Tosh said, " No, you haven't. "

" Oh," Lily nodded, " right. Well you're all invited over on New Years eve. Unless you've got other plans, I guess, but - "

" But none of us do, because we're hardly leading fascinating lives," Owen replied.

" Your words, not mine," Lily shrugged.

" We'll be there," Tosh said, cutting across whatever retort Owen had saved up. Owen allowed himself to smile as he walked over to Lily, " Yeah, we will," he said, holding out a report to her, " I'm putting the blowfish in the 10th and 11th cyro chambers, but I need a signature, and since Jack's not around - "

" Yeah, I'll do it," Lily said.

She'd scrawled a messy signature across the bottom of the page when the doors opened and Jack walked in. " All sorted," he said.

Lily nodded, " Good. All sorted our end too. Martha just rung, by the way, so it looks like they're coming over on the 27th. She sends her love, too. "

Jack nodded, coming to sit on the end of her desk, " Good. I like it when Martha's around. "

" I know," she mumbled, " I can't wait to see how many times you wind Mickey up. "

Jack took hold of her hand, " I'll be on my best behaviour. " When she raised her eyebrows to challenge the statement, he added, " I promise. "

" If you say so," she grinned, as he interlocked his fingers with hers. Her eyes fell on the thick gold band sitting on his left ring finger, and she couldn't help but smile at it, as always.

" When we get home," Lily told him, " you can stay out of the bedroom. I'm wrapping some stuff up, and you're not allowed in, because it'll ruin the surprise. "

" Recieved and understood," Jack nodded, " but you don't have to go to a lot of fuss. I'll be happy with anything, as long as it comes with a nice big hug and maybe a kiss too. "

" I think I can stretch to that," she grinned.

Jack nodded and tucked some of her hair behind her ear, allowing the backs of his fingers to graze her cheek, while the rest of the staff got on with their work behind them. " You are _so _going to love me when you see what I've got for you. "

" Really? " Lily grinned, the spark in her eye making Jack's heart swell with pride when he thought of the look on her face

" Really," Jack said squeezing her hand, " you're going to _so _love me. "

Lily smiled at him, " More than I already do? "

" Much more," he replied, leaning down to take her into a kiss.


	8. Christmas

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter Eight

Lily woke up early on Christmas Day, vaguely wondering if it was the law that everyone simply _must _be up as early as possible at Christmas. She'd woken up mostly due to Jack's restless shuffling beside her in the bed.

She opened her eyes to find Jack lying on his side, propping himself up on his elbow and using his free hand to play with her air as he looked at her.

" Hey, you're awake! " he grinned, his voice bright and cheery.

Lily narrowed her eyes at him, sitting up a little, though somehow a wide smile crossed her face and she couldn't stop it, " Yes, I am. And I think it's probably got a lot to do with you making as much movement as possible, to wake me up. "

" Well," Jack said, an innocent look on his face, though it didn't quite wash, " it _is _Christmas. I was just too excited to stay asleep any longer. "

She rolled her eyes, though she couldn't blame him for wanting to get up, and she reached out to lay a hand on his cheek. She rubbed her thumb across his cheek lightly and smiled, " Merry Christmas, Jack. "

He slowly turned his face towards her hand. He kissed the palm of her hand softly, before turning back to face her, " Merry Christmas, Mrs Harkness. "

She giggled, and all pretences that she wasn't as excited about christmas as the country's 5 year olds, were dropped. She suddenly moved forwards and pressed her lips to his.

He immediately returned the kiss, his hands reaching for her waist and pulling her closer to him, their kiss not ending in the process. Lily moaned against his lips, and during the kiss, Jack chanelled his excitement into energy and rolled over, hanging above her and pinning her beneath him.

Jack ended the kiss to go on to kiss her cheek, and then left a trail of kisses down her neck.

She giggled as he did so, and when he reached the opening of the shirt she'd worn to bed, she reached out to touch his cheek, and cupped his cheek with one hand.

She made him look up at her and when she'd got his eyes on hers, she leaned in for a kiss. He kissed her back eagerly and rested his forehead against hers when they broke apart.

" Now," Lily said with a smile, " as lovely as this is, there's presents waiting under the tree, and I'm really looking forward to having a christmas on earth that isn't filled with deadly christmas trees, or killer santas. "

Jack ignored her pout and slowly unbuttoned the first button of her - well, his old - shirt. He looked up at her, " The presents will still be there in a while, I promise. But for now, how about I get to unwrap one of my presents? "

His raised eyebrows and his hand beginning to unbutton the next button of the shirt made it very clear what he thought his "present" was, and she gave in - not that she'd ever seriously opposed it anyway.

" How could I ever resist? " she laughed.

A while later, curled up against her husband's body, revelling in the heat radiating from it and enjoying the security and safety of his arms, Lily sighed in contentment.

" Jack? "

" Yes, darling wife? "

" Let's go open the presents now," she said eagerly, propping herself up on her chest.

Jack chuckled. They'd both agreed not to go overboard on christmas presents for each other, and just buy a couple of things each, and they had presents each from Tosh, Owen, Ianto and Gwen.

" Agreed," he said, " how about you make yourself look especially gorgeous, and I'll get some breakfast going? "

He kissed the top of her head, distangled his body from hers and rolled out of bed and towards the wardrobe. She watched him snatch an outfit out of the wardrobe and leave the bedroom.

After Jack had gone downstairs, Lily plucked her christmas outfit from the wardrobe. She rarely bought new clothes, but she'd bought something nice to wear for this christmas day, and something for new years eve.

She put on her new black dress - it was knee length, quite sparkly, with bits of gold glitter all around it. It felt nice to dress up just because it was a special day, even if she wasn't really going anywhere.

She added the gold and pearl necklace that Jack had proudly presented her with two weeks ago on their wedding anniversary and made her way downstairs.

She walked into the kitchen to find Jack standing there in a pair of smart black pants and a crisp white shirt, his back to the kitchen door.

She leant up against the doorframe, folding her arms over her chest, and let out a wolf whistle, which made him turn around.

" I made us a bacon sandwich," he said, and she looked at him to see he was holding two tall, thin glasses, " and a glass of champagne. " He handed the glass to her, kissing her cheek, " and you look very beautiful. "

" Thank you," she sighed happily, " you look good too. Not often I see you in black and white ... very smart. "

" Thought I'd make an effort," he shrugged, pulling out her chair for her, and going to sit opposite her once she'd sat down, " though now I'm just hoping I don't spill anything down my white shirt. "

" Maybe I should make you wear a bib," Lily suggested, causing Jack to scoff into his champagne.

" Hope you're looking forward to cooking christmas dinner," Jack said after they'd finished their breakfasts.

Lily laughed, " Christmas dinner? I can't cook something like that! That's why we bought that stuff where it's already cooked for you. "

Jack knew exactly what they'd bought - something that was still christmas dinner, but would take limited amounts of cooking - but just to annoy her, he narrowed his eyes.

" What kind of wife are you going to make, if you're not even cooking chrstmas dinner? "

She shrugged, " The same kind of wife I was when I didn't cook christmas dinner last year. Maybe next year I'll give it a try. If you'll help me, that is. "

" I suppose I could stretch to that," Jack shrugged.

Lily nodded, " Good. See, don't worry about your christmas dinner. I promise by the time we've got a little family, I'll have worked out how to cook. "

Jack scoffed, " I'm not holding my breath. "

She kicked him playfully under the table, " It's not my fault.I was brought up in a spaceship which just made you whatever you wanted - I never had a need to cook. "

When they'd eaten, Lily threw their plates in the sink, deciding she'd wash them later, and she'd only just put them down when she heard music playing from the living room, looked over her shoulder, and saw that Jack had left the christmas.

Jack had gotten himself as excited about christmas as a child, and when Lily appeared in the doorway, he grinned and reached out for her hands.

He pulled her into the middle of the living room and started swaying in time to the music, wrapping his arms around her and proceeding to dance around the living room.

" Last christmas," he sang, leaning down so his lips were close to her ear, " I gave you my heart. "

She laughed gleefully as he suddenly spun her out and back in to him, and he was there to catch her when she flew back at him. He continue to sing, " but the very next day, you gave it away. "

" I did not! " she protested indignantly.

" This year, to save me from tears," he sung, his arm tightening around her waist as they slow danced, " I'll give it to someone special. "

" You will _not," _Lily told him sharply.

Slowing down to a stop, Jack sighed, " I was trying to be romantic, but fine, if that's the way you want to be. "

" It's not very romantic to sing me a song about some girl who broke your heart, is it? " Lily challenged, raising her eyebrows, though her hands remained around his neck.

" You've just missed George Michael's whole point," Jack sighed, rubbing his hands up and down her back, " the point is, he got his heart broken _last _year, but _this _year it's alright because he's going to give his heart to someone better. "

When Lily didn't reply, he nodded, " Fine. "

Lily watched him stroll over to their CD player. he pressed the fast forward button a few times, and when he let go, he turned back to her with a grin.

" This better for you? " he asked, walking back towards her.

She smiled when she hear the song and held out her hands, " Much better. "

Jack took hold of both of her hands warmly and pressed his lips against hers. Their kiss was long and deep, and when it ended, Jack kept hold of one of her hands firmly, and placed her other hand on his shoulder, before wrapping his arm around her waist and drawing her in.

The song had already started, and Jack joined in with the lyrics, " All I want for Christmas, is you" he sang, his voice low and perfectly in tune, an effortless grin on his face.

She laughed in delight as he spun her around, and by the time the song was over, she was laughing wildly, her hands encased by his.

" _Very _well done," Jack nodded in approval.

He kissed her cheek, and when they broke apart, he squeezed her hands before letting go of them. " Presents, then? "

Lily nodded, going to sit on the floor beside the christmas tree. " Oh, leave the CD on," she smiled, patting the carpet beside her, " I think it's nice. "

" As you command, of course," Jack smirked, sitting down beside her, " what have we got? "

" From me," she said, reaching out for the first present and tossing it into his lap. Jack picked it up and felt all around the package - it was soft and quite bulky, and his curiosity was aroused. He opened it slowly and she smiled as she saw the look of dawning comprehension on his face as he pulled the wrapping paper away.

" It's a new coat! " he exclaimed, holding it up.

Beside him, his wife nodded happily, " I know you've already got your beloved coat, but it's ancient now, and it's been patched up so many times. I'm not saying you shouldn't wear it, but this is an alternative if you ever want one. "

Jack silenced her by leaning over and kissing her lips briefly, " It's brilliant. " It was certainly different from his other coat, though it was clearly still period dress. He stood up and pulled it on - it fitted perfectly, " you must have spent ages looking for this," he said, " thank you. "

He folded it up very carefully and sat down next to her again, reaching for a present, " One for you now. "

He gave her a small package and she rattled it, laughing when Jack warned, " Be careful! "

She ripped away the paper to find a fancy looking glass bottle - a very expensive bottle of perfume.

They kept exchanging presents, until Jack had recieved the coat, a very old bottle of whiskey, a set of fancy pens with his first name engraved on them, a sterling silver keyring engraved with the word "husband," a few books he'd dropped several million hints for, and the complete box set of Desperate Housewives so far - a tv show which he'd watched with Lily for the first time and kept watching with her every week, as much as he pretended he wasn't watching it because he actually liked it. She'd also bought him a bumper set of action movies to balance it out.

Lily meanwhile was sitting in front of a pile made up of perfume, a huge box of chocolates, earrings to match the necklace she'd been bought for her anniversary, a framed picture of the two of them, as she'd been telling him she wanted one for her desk, a new pair of designer glasses - which she only wore when thinking hard, because she thought they made her look smart - and a selection of sweets for her desk drawer, since she was always nibbling at something when she was bored.

Their selection of presents from their friends was small and assorted.

From Gwen, Jack recieved a pair of silver cufflinks - a present Lily was sure Rhys wouldn't have suggested, but probably put up with because they were moving away anyway. Lily recieved a bottle of wine. From Tosh, Jack recieved the very practical gift of a full stationary set - which Lily thought Tosh probably hoped would help him with the dreaded admit. Tosh had bought Lily a cream scarf covered in poppies, which she knew would match Lily's favourite trench-coat.

Ianto had bought them both huge gift sets of mugs, hot chocolate, various types of coffee, chocolate sprinkles and marshmallows. Owen had bought Lily a year long subscription to a astronomy magazine, and had bought Jack - probably rather begrudingly since christmas cheer was hardly his thing - a tie and some socks.

" Thank you, kitten," Lily said, getting up on her knees and shuffling over to him. She reached out for his face, and he smiled as her hands met his cheeks.

He leaned in and their lips met slowly. Their kiss was familiar yet still as exciting as ever, and when they broke apart, jack took hold of both of her hands.

" And thank you," he said, slowly standing up and helping her to her feet, " but I've got one more present for you. Something really special. "

" Really? " Lily asked, her eyes lighting up with excitement, " you didn't have to - you've got me some lovely things already. "

" Trust me," Jack said, " this is the best present of all, but I just have to go fetch it. "

Her curiosity peaked and she shook her head, " Fetch it from where? "

He tapped his nose as he started towards the door, " Can't tell you, but I couldn't keep it here without you finding out about it. Won't be long, I promise. "

She grinned at the thought of him getting her a present that couldn't be kept in the house, and she couldn't think at all what it could be, though she was very grateful for having a husband who wanted to spoil her rotten.

Unable to stop grinning, she nodded, " Ok. I'll see if I can find us a Christmas film for when you get back. "

When Jack had gone, she settled down on the sofa and started flicking through the channels. She found a romantic comedy starting in a short while and settled on that. She'd just got comfy on the sofa when her mobile phone rang and she answered it to find Tosh on the other end.

" Merry Christmas," Tosh said happily.

Lily laughed, " Merry Christmas, Tosh. Thanks for our presents. "

" And thanks for mine," Tosh replied, " fancy meeting up later on for a drink? With Jack and Owen, of course. "

" Yeah, I'm sure we'd like that," Lily said, " Jack's just popped out for some kind of secret present, but I'll tell him when he gets back. Where shall we meet you? "

" How about the Fox and Hounds? " Tosh suggested, " say 6 o clock? "

Lily nodded, " Yeah, we'll be there. "

Ten minutes later, Lily heard the door open, and Jack called out, " I'm home! "

" Hi! " Lily called out, without getting up off the sofa, " I'm still in here. "

She heard Jack moving around in the hallway, and putting down what sounded like several things. Filled with curiosity, she smiled and stood up, and was in the process of going into the hallway when Jack put his head around the door, " Don't move," he said quickly.

" What on earth are you doing? " Lily asked.

" I'll be in in a minute," Jack told her, shooing her away with one hand, " sit down. "

Lily did as she was told, going to sit down on the sofa. A few moments later, Jack walked into the living room with a very large blue box, a red ribbon tied around it, which he was carrying very carefully.

He put the box down on her knees, and added, " Be careful with it. It's delicate. "

Lily held the box close to her with one arm, and she felt a hole in the side of it. Feeling the box with her fingers, she felt a few holes in it - air holes maybe, she allowed herself to wonder.

Slowly, she pulled at the red ribbon and it fell apart. She lifted up the lid and threw it to one side. The box was full of stuffing and padding, and she looked up at Jack, who nodded encouragingly.

She put her hand in the box and was alarmed when whilst brushing aside some of the padding, she felt something warm and furry. Her eyes widened as she realised what it could be and looked up at Jack again.

" Come on," he said, " don't you want to know what's in there? "

" I'm definitley intruiged," Lily replied, grabbing a handful of padding and throwing it out. Suddenly, she saw a little nose poking up throught the padding, and her heart leapt as she realised what it was. She eagerly brushed away some more of the padding and inside the box, the little nose poked up more, followed by the rest of a head.

She gasped when she saw a little black dog looking up at her. Its big brown eyes met hers, and her heart was filled with love for the puppy. The little dog was adorable and she fell in love with it immediately.

She reached into the box and carefully picked it up, holding it close to her chest, while Jack helpfully came over to take the box off her lap so she could rest the puppy in her lap.

" Black labrador," Jack announced as he sat down next to her, " 10 weeks old. It's a boy. And he's all yours. "

" He's so cute," Lily beamed, sighing happily as the puppy allowed her to stroke it gently, and headbutted her hand in an attempt to get more contact.

She was already full of love for the puppy and she couldn't believe Jack had bought her a dog.

" What do you think? " Jack asked carefully.

" I love him," Lily grinned, as the puppy continued to knock into her hand, clearly already loving his new owner. She leaned into Jack as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and she glanced up at him.

" Thank you, so much," she said, " this is ... he's gorgeous. I can't believe you bought me a puppy. "

Jack chuckled, " Couldn't resist - thought you'd like him. "

" Thank you," she repeated, leaning in.

" More than welcome," he whispered, closing the small gap between them and pressing his lips to hers. She smiled into the kiss and it was short but sweet.

" Remember though," Jack said, tapping her nose playfully and enjoying the look on her face when she wrinkled her nose up unhappily, " a dog is not just for christmas. "

" Thank you," Lily said, stroking her new puppy gently and affectionately, " he's ... he's so cute. God, you are the best husband anyone ever had. "

" Jack will do," Jack shrugged, earning himself a playful glare. " So, what are you going to name him? "

" Sure I'll think of something," Lily said, " I'm not quite sure yet though. Hey, how long has he been kept in a box? Where did you keep him until now? Have you got all the stuff? "

He laughed at the question, " He hasn't been in the box long. I bought him a couple of day ago, and he's been in Ianto's care until this morning. I kept all the things for him in the garage. Picked him up from Ianto's and I only put him in the box to give to you just now. "

Lily nodded, taking it it. " What about when we're at work? it's a long time to leave a dog alone. "

" He could come with us," Jack suggested, " anywhere we wouldn't want him to be has a locked door anyway, and at least there'd be people around all the time. "

Lily nodded as she thought about it. She felt completely happy and she knew that this christmas day was going to be perfect.

With her adorable puppy on her lap, and her husband's arms around her, Lily looked up at him happily, " Merry Christmas, Jack. "

He grinned, " I think you've already said that today. "

" I know," she shrugged, " but I meant it. It's a _very _merry christmas. "

" I suppose it is," Jack nodded, reaching out to stroke the puppy, and absent mindedly scratching behind its ears, " he _is _cute, isn't he? I just hope with this little one around, he's not going to take all your time away from me. "

Lily laughed, " I'm sure there's room in my life for both of you. "

Satisfied, Jack nodded. " You're right, you know," he said, " it _is _a very merry christmas. Merry Christmas, Mrs Harkness. "

**Author's Note: Feel free to suggest names for the Harkness puppy.**


End file.
